Best credit card after bankruptcy

The good news is that you can rebuild – and getting new cards (and treating them responsibly) can help.

Why wouldn’t you just go cold turkey?

It might seem odd to recommend getting a card to those with a fresh bankruptcy. However, you’ll probably need good credit in your post-bankruptcy life – for a mortgage or a car loan, for example. And a good score requires demonstrating you can use credit responsibly.

“When you want to rebuild credit post-bankruptcy, you don’t want to hide from credit,” says Paul Kuzmickas, a bankruptcy attorney at Luftman, Heck & Associates and bankruptcy and business law professor at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. “It does you no good at all if you don’t use any [credit]. You’re not rebuilding your credit score. It’s just sitting there.”

The good news is, while your bankruptcy will remain on your report for years (10 years for Chapter 7, seven years for Chapter 13), credit-scoring algorithms and lenders value new information greatly. So, as your bankruptcy fades into your past, expect fresh information (preferably accounts you’re paying on time) to become more prevalent.

“You may have done a lot of bad things two years ago and a lot of good things in the two years since,” Kuzmickas says. “They definitely look at that [newer information] closely.”

Will a bank actually give me a credit card?

Now you know credit cards are a good way to rebuild. But will banks actually do business with you if you have a troubled reputation?

They almost certainly will, Kuzmickas says.

“In fact, many people are getting bombarded with credit card offers as soon as they get their discharge,” he says.

You’re allowed to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy only once every eight years. So the banks know you won’t easily be able to discharge any debt you rack up post-bankruptcy, Kuzmickas says.

Which cards should I apply for?

Each time you apply for a credit card, you’ll trigger a hard inquiry which will temporarily lower your credit score. That means you want as few swings-and-misses as possible.

“One thing you don’t want to do is fall into that trap where you’re applying for all sorts of credit and getting denied,” Kuzmickas says.

Kuzmickas recommends sifting through any post-bankruptcy offers you’ve been getting in the mail and picking a card with no annual fee. You have a good chance of getting approved for pre-approved offers, because the issuer already checked your credit and determined you worthy of the card. The offers might not be the best and may involve cards with high interest rates and even annual fees, so be sure to compare all offers and select the best you can find.

“If you’re not approved for anything and things are really bleak, that’s when you look for a secured card,” Kuzmickas says.

Secured cards require you to put a deposit down to secure the credit line. Once you’ve proven yourself able to make on-time payments and are eligible for a better card, you can close your card and get your deposit refunded.

Oh, and don’t apply for a card with an issuer involved in your bankruptcy. You may be blacklisted.

“They’re less likely to approve you if they just erased your debt,” Kuzmickas says.

Using your first post-bankruptcy card to build credit

The following advice will help you make your new card the first brick in your credit re-building journey:

Pay in full

Any card you get after bankruptcy is going to have a “scary” interest rate, Kuzmickas says. If you let interest charges pile up, you could find yourself back in late-payment land in no time. However, if you pay by the due date, no interest charges will be incurred.

“You could have a 24 percent interest rate, but it doesn’t matter, if you pay in full,” Kuzmickas says. “Don’t just pay the minimum. Pay it off.”

Don’t use up your entire credit limit
Credit utilization (how much of your available credit you use) has a huge impact on your credit score. After bankruptcy, keeping your utilization low can be especially challenging because banks won’t trust you with a large credit line. However, for the sake of your score, it’s vital to keep your credit utilization below 30 percent.

“When you get these first cards, you may have a very small limit available,” Kuzmickas says.

So, instead of using your card to make lots of purchases, make just one small purchase a month and pay it off in full.

“You pay $25 to put gas in your car, the bill comes and you pay it off,” Kuzmickas says.

This post was written or last updated August 2, 2016

Comments

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I filed for BK September 2014 and was discharged February 2015 so I am just one year out. Today I was able, through Credit Karma’s suggestions, to get Capital One unsecured cards for both myself and my husband and both have a $3,000 limit. I was very skeptical of Credit Karma at first but it worked out for us. My score is 698 and his is 588 and their first suggestions for him were secured cards. I instead tried for the unsecured card that they suggested he was most likely to get approved for. Last summer I was denied for 2 Capital One cards I applied for and they stated it was due to the BK (I had a Capital One card that was discharged). We have learned to live on cash only in the last year and a half but we need to build our credit of course. I have a student loan and have never missed a payment so that has helped my score. I was also able to get a car loan in September 2015 but I was up front with the salesman on my test drive (a 2012 minivan – not a new vehicle) and he worked with their loan department to make sure I not only was approved, but got a decent rate. I also put $5,000 down and traded in a car so I only needed to get a loan for $20,000. Prior to this my husband was driving a 16 year old car and my car was 8 years old. We both have an hour commute each way to work so a newer car was a necessity that I did not think would be possible 7 months after discharge. I’m hoping these credit cards will really improve our scores so we can begin to put this whole mess behind us. I don’t agree with people getting a bunch of cards right away. We had 18 cards between us when we filed (not all of them had balances) and I do not want to get into that situation again. My husband losing his job began a vicious cycle of living off of cards but we are in a much better place financially now and I do not want that stress ever again! It takes time, but you can improve your credit.

I don’t think capital one is as good as everyone thinks. I filed chapter 7, after discharge got an orchard card. Paid in full, never carried a balance or used over 20% of available credit. However when capital one bought orchard they closed my account. I called to ask why and they said I wasn’t credit worthy since I had a bankruptcy. Obviously I had been responsible for the year before orchard was bought by cap one. Just my thoughts, I don’t plan on ever using capital one again

How were you able to get a Venture card so quick. My BK hasnt been discharged yet, but I was able to get a Cap1 platinum card, low CL, but no annual payment for me and for my wife. But I like the Venture card

I was discharged for Chapter 7 in 3/15, have a 705 FICO score, working FT and based upon what others have stated here I applied for a Capital One Platinum card and was denied. So I applied for a SECURED Capital One card and was denied????? Now I’m going to have 2 hits to my credit score because of this and still no card. Not sure if all the other stories on here are fantasy or just Capital One employees sucking people into applying for their cards but I now question them!

Not sure what Cap1 looks at. I was Chpt7 discharged 09/01/15 with a high fico score 498. Applied for Cap1 secured and was given QS1 w/$500 CL 2weeks late offer to apply for Cap1 platinum, given a $500 CL. I was promised CLI after 6th payment.

You applied to soon, I was in the same situation, After my Bk discharge I applied 7 months and they denied me. However, I had two secured cards I was using and paying on time with a $1000 on each for 6 months. Finally one the the secured card released my deposit back to me and gave me an insecured card. This month of march 2016 I re applied for cap one and was approved for the Journey cc student since I’m in school full-time for Nursing $3000 CL and the following and check credit karma again and it said my odds were very good for venture so I applied for ventureOne and approved for $3000CL as well, my scores was 656-681bet Equifax and Trans.

Just some information about my experience on the road of financial recovery.

I filed for Chapter 13 in December of 2009. My Chapter 13 was officially discharged in December of 2014. Since my discharge, I have been successful at opening the following lines of credit:

Secure credit card with First (1st) Choice Bank for $1,000 prior to my Chapter 13 discharge
Kay Jewelers with a credit limit of $1,800.00
FHA Mortgage with Plaza Home Mortgage for $326,000.00 – loan closed three(3) months
after my Chapter 13 was
officially discharged
Tide Water Bank/Rooms To Go with a credit line of $3,000.00
Lexus line of credit for $41,000 for the purchase of a Lexus
Capital One -Quicksilver with a credit limit of $3,000.00
Capital One- Spark Business Card with a credit limit of $2,000.00
Best Buy/Citi Bank credit card with a credit limit of $,2000,00

I applied for a Discover Card in August of 2015 after it was recommended by Credit Karma and was denied due to having too many recent accounts open within a short space of time.
My plan is to chill in the garden until December of 2016 and then re-apply for the Discover card. At this particular time, my Chapter 13 will not be in my credit file and about 95% of my inquiries would have fallen off my credit report as well. Patience is truly a virtue. I hope everyone the best of luck!

Good Evening Everyone, I am glad I came across this forum. I went to CK my score is in the 500. I am in the process of filing CP 7 for the first time in my life after avoiding it for soooo many yrs. I have my meeting with the creditors next mth. I was out of work for 2yrs and hence the reason I am here. My goal is to build my score up save and purchase a home as a FHA. I am going the safe route of a secured card first. (ONLY ONE CARD). For all the people on here that I have read that are getting 4-5 cards and car loans…please be careful….for those of you who have a credit card/cards I suggest you take my stupid advice and don’t apply for store cards because whatever it is you are using the store card for you can use your same CC you have to purchase what’s needed. Don’t put your self out there by getting these un-necessary cards, when there is no need to. Slow down…..take your time and rebuild. Don’t get out of dept just to have to bury yourself right back into it. BK is not a scape goat and it’s not something to take advantage of….remember once you file if you get yourself back into the debt you have to wait a couple yrs before you can re-apply for BK and the second time around IS not going to be as easy as the first time…..In actuality there should BE NO SECOND TIME……pending you learned your lesson the first time. I would hate to see you all end up right back where you got started. The goal is to move forward towards financial freedom…..

Our 7 BK was discharged 8/2012, but we lost our house to foreclosure 8/2014. We had a hard time getting a car loan in 3/2014, so did not think that we would get approved. We got approved for $5000 with Capitol 1 Quicksilver.

Discharged Chapter 7 October 7, 2015. I applied for a Capital one MC and was approved $500 Unsecured. I did this before my discharge in August 2015. I applied today and was approved for a Capital one Platinum MC and was approved for 3K. My credit score is only 593. While using my current 500 limit, I continue to make full payments. I believe the key is not to constantly apply for credit when you have the ability. I believe moderation is key.

Been out of bankruptcy now for 16 months. I obtained a secured card from US Bank 1 month after my bankruptcy was finalized. I have a Transunion score of 704 when checked by US Bank and I was declined for my request to unsecure my card. I called to ask for a reconsideration and was told that my credit behavior looked good and was reflected by my current credit score however they have a mandatory 5 year waiting period before offering any unsecured product after a bankruptcy.

Thanks to this web site I decided I would try to get a Capital One platinum card. Our bankruptcy was discharged June 2014 so we are about one year past. I went to Credit Karma where I already had an account and refreshed it. Transunion score is 577 and Equifax is 589. Credit Karma showed both the Capital One Platinum and Capital One Quicksilver as possibilities for me. So I applied for the Capital One Platinum and when it came back it showed an approval for a $2,000 credit limit at 24.9%. I have to admit it was quite a thrill to see that. Our intent is to reestablish our credit so we can qualify for an FHA loan in the next 2 years or so. I haven’t decided yet whether to apply for the Quicksilver but I’m in no hurry. I should also disclose that I make just shy of 100k and I did have 2 Capital One accounts that were paid on time and actually quite a bit open before the bankruptcy. We had a house under water that we need to get out of and then were sued by the second mortgage holder so we had to file for bankruptcy. We also had 2 previous auto loans with Capital One in the past that were paid off. That may have helped, I’m not sure. Next I will likely try to refinance our van since it was reaffirmed in the bankruptcy (Chase) but they are no longer reporting on it. Credit Karma shows 5 possibilities (including Capital One).

Congrats…on your jump start with your credit. Just an FYI for you. I was discharged out of Chp 7 Mar 4th and I also re-affirmed my car. During the months of Mar, April, May it did not show up on my credit. However, come June (4 months since discharge) it is back reporting to all 3 credit bureaus. So you may want to give it a few more months to appear.

I filed November 2010 discharged Jan 2011. I have 2 capital one cards, a barclay rewards card, and a sams club master card all high limits. They all started low but we’re able to get them raised with on time payments.

My ch 13 started 2/2013, but at the end of 6/2014 dismissed due to non payment. (short version of details:) A new atty was assigned to my case (old atty went out of business). New atty converted it to Ch 7 discharged in 3/2015 (finally 🙂 My thoughts were 2 different Bk’s listed on my credit report, my ficos must be awful. But after reading all these comments, it gave me hope. I went to Credit Karma and it gave a message of 3 choices. One being that my file was thin :\ or new credit and a few others. Immediately, thought my fico’s must be below 400. Well, I gave it a shot and applied to Capital One Quicksilver and was approved today for $500. (Capital One was included in my BK) So there is hope! Slowly building my credit 🙂 and I wont get in debt again!! Good luck to all!

I filed Ch 7 in Nov 2014 and it was discharged Feb 2015. The day after discharge I was approved for a $32,000 Fully loaded Yukon. My interest rate actually is way lower than it was on previous car loans and before BK. I just applied for my first credit card through Capital One. My credit score is 594. I have a mortgage that was never been late and has been opened since 2006. That’s 9 years of good payment history and I did not included them into BK. I seen most people on here say they have a lower score than me, less income and only approved for 17k car loan. I was approved for double the amount regarding a car loan and through an actual Dealership NOT Buy Here, Pay Here. Have a mortgage for years and have great Income at a job I’ve been at over 3 years. My point being: I was declined for a Capital One Credit Card. If you look above at others that say they filed the same month as me and was Discharged in the same month as me all with a lower credit score than me, how in the world in May did you actually get approved for a credit card?? I say people on here need to use caution and be very careful to just keep apply for calling that will count against you. I’m a perfect example of how it’s truly not the case especially Capital One. I did the same exact ones they did, still wasn’t approved even with the same dates and higher score than them. Not to mention they stated they had Capital One and filed BK against them then turned around after discharged and was approved. Differently hard to believe but I guess I’d rather have a nice SUV then a $250 credit card limit with a $99 yearly fee any day. Happy Credit Card hunting!

You were approved for the car BECAUSE you filed for bankruptcy. The car dealership knows you can not file again for 7 years and could care less if you default. Worst case is they get a few months of payments from you, you default, they repo it, and re-sell it. You clearly learned nothing from your Bankruptcy. You seriously signed for a 32,000 car the day after you were cleared of debt. That is sad.. just plain sad.

Hello all I’ve been reading in so many online forums to get all of the information to start re- building my credit after my bk was D/C. I filed Ch 7 BK feb of 2015, was discharged May 2015. As I re-called before I filed my credit score was around 400. I kept my car loan with GM financial out my BK and re-affirmed my loan. Which I’ve had my loan for over two years with no missed payments, and my husband is my co-signer. So, next what I did was research any thing and everything having to do with BK. A month before my BK was D/C I applied for the capital secured credit card. I was approved with $95.00 /$200 limit. In between time my husband and I applied for an auto loan and was approved for the car. Which I asked my lawyer before taking out the loan. Was approved for $18,000… but a high APR 15% I believe. And my final step was cleaning and monitoring my credit report. By, using CK,credit sesame web sites. Also hired Lexington law, and before my BK d/c, Lexington was able to get 4 or 5 items removed. The day I was d/c my credit score was 588. Now I’m about a week out of discharge case close, my credit score is (624 TU) (591 EP) (591 EX)….. The same day of d/c I applied for

-Capital one Approved $500.00 Quicksilver
-Capital One Approved $500.00
-Credit One Approved $300.00
capital Secured $200.00 I had a month before d/c

Now, that I have these card’s I’m good for awhile, I don’t see the need to apply for any more.I applied all at once so I could start somewhere and, seems it worked…with the cards I’ve been approved for There’s life after BK =)

I Filed for Chapter 13 in July 2011 and my case was discharged March 2015. I wiped away 55k in Credit Card debt (American Express, Discover, Chase, Bank of America & Citi Bank) and 55k in a Second Mortgage (house was/is underwater) . I did not include my car loan and paid my Credit Union directly and finally paid off my car March 2015 as well. During the course of my Chapter 13 I purchased some furniture from Value City Furniture and was approved for for 2k through their credit program (your job is your credit) and paid off the loan in 3 months. Today I checked my credit score through Credit Karma and shockingly my TransUnion score was 689 and Equifax was 683. Granted I never paid any of my Credit Cards or Car Payments late until the month I filed I was still very surprised at my score. I did skip (2) months of Mortgage payment in 2010 in order to qualify for the Making Home Affordable Act for my First Mortgage. Since I know it may take some time to rebuild my credit I came to this site to see which company’s are a little more lenient towards those of us who have a BK on our report. I went out of a whim and applied with Capital One since they offer a secured card just in case I don’t get approved for a unsecured card. Again to my surprise they approved me for a unsecured card with a 2k limit. From reading others post Capital One is the company to go with.

Filed bK in November 2014 , had a vehicle repossessed the same month. Purchased a new vehicle with $1000 down from a buy here pay here 36 month loan. Never missed a payment or have been late since getting the vehicle. Recieved an offer April 2015 from First Premier bank (approved $700) , Capital One offer May 2015 (approved $1000). Opened an account in March 2015 with my company’s credit union. I will apply for a loan to consolidated debt that could not be discharged (i.e. Student loans, taxes, remainder of new car loan balance) in 6 months so that I only have one payment and not multiple. I understand that First Premier charges an arm and leg for the card in fees However after the bankruptcy smoke cleared first premier and capital one (which I had in the past) remained on my credit as good credit well past my seven years and helped me because I had never paid either card late. So it my case it helped me because my credit card debt was never my issue and I have not had a credit card in 7 years. My debt came from poor investment decisions and consigning. My credit cards were closed on my own before getting bad because I felt I could no longer afford them (bad move and I would not recommend this. I found out the hard way). I also tried Discover and was denied. No worries I will wait 6 month or for an offer to apply again. Good luck to all and thanks for the encouragement.

My wife and I BK was discharged in February 2015, My capital one CC was put into the bankruptcy but not my vehicle financed thru capital one, would capital one approve a credit card if you put one your BK?

I have read on many forum of ppl getting Captial One Credit Cards after including them in BK. For me I only had 1 credit card and my husband had 2 and they flat out denied me stating ” previous experience, so it did not work for me.

I filed 12/23/14 and was discharged 3/23/2015 for chapter 7. I put a capital one secured card in my bankruptcy. I applied May 1 with capital one thinking it will have me with another secure card but I actually was approved for capital one classic $500 and quicksilver $300. Which is a good start for me. I was denied for Barclays and walmart

Maurice – I was denied Capitol one card after bankruptcy. I did declare two capitol one cards in my Chapter 7 BK.
Credit Karma said I would have a very good chance at getting approved but I was denied. So I have applied for Credit One and my application is still processing as well as Barclays’s. My credit score is 660 for TU and Equifax.
I myself had a high # of cards in the past and had good payment history until things got difficult and I joined a credit counseling but still managed to make the required payment. Didn’t quit making payments till Jan 2015 at the advice of my lawyer and filed BK in March 2015 and discharged in June 2015. I also have a car loan with Honda Financial which has never been late and will be paid off in Feb 2016. So it is not as easy as some folks make it seem.

I did the same thing for 2 years after BK7. My CreditKarma score was between 680 & 700. When I went to apply for credit I was always instantly denied. I was being denied in some cases even for secured cards.
I found out that my FICO score (which most lenders only use) was WAY lower. It was reporting between 525 and 550.
I totally understand not wanting a bunch of credit cards following BK, and I did the same thing as you for a couple years. I would just encourage you to make sure your FICO score is OK. Once I got a few different types of credit, and removed a few errors on my credit report, my FICO and my Vantage score (CreditKarma) were both in the high 600’s.

discharged feb 2015 and I have cc from capital one quicksilver $500, capital one unsecured $500, Capital one secured $200, credit one $300, and finger hut $300. I also looked into a car loan I was approved for 17,500 through cap one but the interest rate is rather high so I will wait

Off to a get start just being out of BK CH7 6 months. I applied for Chase and Nordstrom– Nordstrom told me to re-apply in June as they were not happy with all the inquires. Chase want you to have at least 1 year out of BK.. so they both was denied. I have not applied to any others as they were included with in my Bk and they are pretty much not messing with me. Which is a good thing as I am trying to buy a house and I dont need all that debit to income crap.. I pay all my credit card down to under $100 as I have been told it will help raise my limits. If you know anyone in the Miltary that can refer you to Navy Federal do it. They are a great bank and they gave me a chance with low interest rates. I love them. Good luck — I promise there is hope at the end of the tunnel— Stay away from those credit card mailers— they have high interest rate and low limits. You can get good cards. If you have to get a secured card with the bank you want to do business with– they will reward you for it.

Sorry did not get the message– My credit score was in the mid 450’s after BK so I got the secured card and kept it for 5 months then applied for regular card approved at $1000 with NAvy Cash Reward– my credit was about 580 at that time– I have recently been increase to $2500 and credit score is around 638

Did you have your Navy Federal Visa before the bankruptcy? I am a co-borrower on a NFCU Visa along with a checking/savings account. I was informed that NFCU will most likely close my banking account due to me filing bankruptcy. Was that your case?

I just had my bankruptcy discharged on June 26, 2015. My credit score is now a 684. Before filing bk I had a 615. I was never late on CC payments and had to file because of an unexpected judgement. 7 days post bk I was approved for a Capital One Quicksilver with $1000 limit and a $500 Capital One platinum. I was able to retrieve my new score by being a member of Credit Karma and it is totally free. I recommend that you sign up at Credit Karma and anyone post bk sign up online for the Capital One card for average credit. Also, Navy Federal closed my checking but left open my savings. I just applied for them to re-open my checking and I am waiting for their response. I left my checking and savings in good standing. However, I had a $6000 credit card maxed out included in my bk. Good Luck!!! I was surprised at how much my credit score bumped up post bankruptcy-thank God!!! I’m on the road to re-building my credit. BTW, I love Navy Federal!

I have discharged over $55,000.00 in taxes this year in bankruptcy. Having that over my head was killing me after my divorce. The debt owed has to be at least 2 years old, I think, to be included in your bankruptcy.

I was just really browsing around and thought I’d do a little research on rebuilding my credit after my bankruptcy discharge last month. Found this site, headed over to credit Karma and to my astonishment I was approved for a 3k Capital One. Wow, I really was shocked. I appreciate all the advice in these forums. I do have a good monthly income and years of good credit up until a business failure which ran up 2 high credit card balances and I just couldn’t recover with me covering all of our household expenses. I’m thankful and consider my experience a huge lesson learned in using very high balance credit cards.

wow. Kim: i was also just discharged and went to capital one was instantly approved for $1K – which is plenty. still surprised it was approved. must be my income and working 35 years with same employer. never going to go thru this again. said card would arrive in 7-10 days?

BK 7 Keep your chins up, we filed Octobet 2013 discharged Decemeber 2013.
as of today, I have Capital one , Showcard, and Bsrclaybank, total line of credit $11,000 my wife, total line $9000.00 included lowes. I also just got a car loan used for 5.25 % . just keep all your payments on time.

I was discharged Chapter 7 on September 30, 2014. I had kept two unsecured CC out of the bankruptcy (Merrick Bank $500 and Credit One $400). Since then I have been approved for Capital One $3000 and had bumps to Merrick $1000 and Credit One to $600. I did try for Barclays on the advice of Credit Karma and was denied. I’m so focused on my credit now, I check my scores on several different sites. My cards are strictly for emergency at this point. The thing is to be patient, the more time that passes, things will get better. Good luck everybody.

So Blown away! Filed my BK 11/30/14, discharged on 03/02/15.
Today 3/8/15, I found this forum. Realized I needed to start to rebuild
so I went an applied for capital One (Quicksilver and Platinum). Approved
for both at just $300 but that is OK to start. Went to Fingerhut and applied
and was approved for $230, again OK to start.
Tried for a Kohls charge and was denied. 3 out of 4 is not bad to start. 😉

My husband and I both filed for bankruptcy March 2014,discharged in September 2014. We both again applied separately for capital one quick silver & platinum, both approved for both, I was at $500 initially on both,he was at $300 & $500.In December, our limits were both increased by $200.Three weeks ago, cap one approve me for a $45K auto loan, and I just purchased a new 2015 Acura. My credit score has risen 110 pts in it will be a year this month that we filed bankruptcy. And when we filled I dropped to a 650, which isn’t the worse, but coming from someone who had excellent pay history and had never made a late payment in her life,trying to rebuild credit like that can become frustrating.For someone like my husband who now had zero credit building credit can be difficult,but Capital One can be a great help when utilized properly.

Stop applying for so many cards so fast do one every 6 months and just wait your score will go up and never use more than 30% of ur card and make a payment every two weeks in ur cycle so if u have a card for 1000 don’t charge more than 300 make a payment $150 every two weeks and pay in full this worked really well for me hope it works for u

My son just applied for and was issued the Capital One Platinum card from the Crédit Karma site with the 0 annual fee/ $19 per year after. When he activated the card instead of waiving the annual fee they charged him $39 immediately. After talking to a rep & a supervisor they acted like they didn’t know anything about the 0 fee & $19/year offer. They eventually agreed to waive the initial $39 fee (we shall see if it actually gets crefited) but said he would still have the full $39 thereafter. Fraud by Capital One &Credit Karma.

Anyhow, I digress. Applied for a cap one platinum unsecured ( recommended by credit karma ) less than 8 hours after my discharge entered with the court, approved for $2,000.00 unsecured limit. $0 annual fee 1st year, $19 a year after that. 25% interest, but whatever. No more inquiries necessary for me.

Filed Dec 2013, Discharge March 2014, April 2014 approved for capital one $2500. Few months later Barclay for $3000. Hubby also applied for capital one (June 2014) and also approved for $2500. Both upped the limit to $3000 after 5 on time payments. I was surprised, but not surprised. Our lawyer told us because our credit was good (730) before filing, we probably wouldn’t have a hard time getting one. We had not missed any payments on anything before filing, but was draining our savings to cover our bills and using credit cards to pay for groceries etc just so our income could cover credit card payments. Knew we were heading for catastrophe so we filed. Both of our credit scores are high 600 to low 700 depending on report. Was also approved Dec 2014 for GMC lease for truck. Good luck, it is possible to recover from BK in a fairly short time. Now, just can’t wait to be able to get approved for another mortgage (kept our home and cars in BK but want to move to new location).

Filed bk in May 2014, discharged in Sept 2014. I already had an auto-loan with Capital One which I reaffirmed and kept after the bk (never missed a payment, even while in bk). I just applied for 2 Capital One cards (Quick Silver and Platinum) and was approved for $1000 each. I was totally surprised. I applied for the first one and when I got approved for 1K I almost couldn’t believe it, but then when I applied for the second one minutes later and got approved I almost hit the floor. These will definitely be emergency use only cards, but now with the car loan and the 2 credit cards, I hope to rebuild my credit in no time at all.

I filed Chapter 13 in 2009, it was discharged in February. Prior to February, I had a cosigner on a car loan through Mazda that I was able to take over completely with my local bank in Oct 2013 and a two small loans from my bank for $1000 at 7%, both of which paid off. I just closed on an FDA house with underwriting from my local bank with a 4.25% loan and all three reporting co have a credit score above 670. So three loan pay offs in that time frame and two current loans (1 new-home and 1 over a year-Car) which are less than 25% of my income. It seems as I would be doing ok.

Today I applied for Home Depot and was turned down. I’m nervous about trying another card, as “yes -I want to reestablish credit” but no, don’t necc need one for anything but home improvement” but would like to have one to secure travel. Is there a home improvement store card that is available that is easier the HD? Should I wait until a couple more months of positive reporting on the house loan go through?

Hi my me and my husband just got discharged from ch 13 after 5 yr we want to rebuilt our credit but I’m not working anymore does anyone know if I can still apply? For the annual income do i put what my husband makes?

I filed for bankruptcy chapter 7 in 2013. Discharged in September 2013. I burned Discover for $2,000 and paid capital one $268 taking a bargain deal. Keep applying for Victoria Secrets Angel card. Got denied in July of 2014. Applied again, got a letter yesterday staking I needid to call for verification. Called and got approved for $250 credit limit. No annual fee. So very excited. My first credit card after ch. 7 bankruptcy

I filed ch 7 04/01/2014 discharged 07/14/14. The first card approved for was Kohls $300. I found that Comenity Back is very bk friendly I have VS $250, The limited $250, Ny an Co $250, Justice $250 and express $250. Also have tireplus for $700, and Discover Chrome Secured $200. A lot of the department stores I do not need I will cancel later. Already had gotten a new car loan once I filed and a unsecured loan survived my bk 1 more payment on it.

Don’t cancel your credit cards that’s the worst thing anyone can do while going through the credit repair process.I was a loan officer for six years before the big market crash and I assisted my clients with their credit repair process during that time all I dealt with was loans for individuals with poor credit while everyone was caught up with people with good credit but I was in it to help people with bad credit sometimes it took up to 6 months before I got them into there homes and one day I started reaping the rewards do to the grateful clients of mine referring clients to me. I was making lots of money and got really good at what I did I also was doing real estate at that time and now I’m back in real estate helping people doing what I love in the state of WA I could be reached at 253-227-4602 if you have any question and yes I went through every imaginable thing like Bankruptcy, foreclosure, and owing the IRS lots of money and cleared all my self.

I have found that any credit card that is backed by Snychrony bank will not approve anyone with a bankruptcy. This includes JCP, Gap, 76 gas stations, old navy, Banana Republic. Over all they have 40 credits cards that you might not want to try. Please read the fine print before applying for credit cards.

My BK7 was discharged last year, Aug 2013. I was approved for $150 from JCP in March and received a CLI to $300 a couple months ago. I also was approved for store card of $100 from Walmart in March. Both are Synchrony. However, they were GE Capital (now Synchrony) until a month or two ago.

I got discharged in May 2014 and I got approved for a Care Credit line with Synchrony bank today for $800. They DO issue cards, you just have to meet the right criteria. I have a auto loan and 2 credit cards that have 6 months positive history since then. Cap 1 has already raised my credit limit from 500 to 1500.

This is not true as a year after bankruptcy I applied and was approved for many cards backed by Snychrony Bank: Walmart- $800 Limit, CarCareone Card- $700 Limit, Old Navy- $500 Limit, Amazon Store Card- $1,000 Limit and Lowe’s $500.

my bankruptcy was dischared on august 26 2014. i appied for credit one bank and i got approved for 300. i filed among othes capital one and they turned me down which i expected ..can anybody give me any more information.

How do you get a credit if one of the questions is “have you claimed bankruptcy in The past seven years”? If you check yes, then the application goes no further , however , if you check no knowingly , then isn’t that fraud?

I also have been turned down with capital one in the past, everytime. In march I was discharged 2014, applied only 1 month after with capital one and got approved, 3 times, with cli from executive offices.

I was starting to get discouraged when I kept reading success stories, and I kept getting denied. Here is what I did..

I ended up writing up a “sob story” letter to 95% of my creditors that had previously denied me, but it was still an inquiry on my credit report, and I heard back from about 70% of them stating that they will be removing the inquires. This helped A LOT, and this is how I had gotten approved for these credit cards.

My suggestion also, is to try thru Comenity Bank [Torrid, The Limited, and Buckle are from them] [for credit cards] they seem to be the most lenient.

This blog was very helpful to me, so, im going to share an updated credit experience.

I filed bankruptcy Bank in 2005, and it was discharged. I was still irresponsible, and used my credit again, and got back into $50,000 worth of debt.

So, October/2013, I filed for Chapter 7 yet again. 🙁 My bankruptcy was discharged this past January 2014. I have learned my lesson, and will NEVER mess up my credit again. I have never cared so much about my credit UNTIL now.

My scored really hadn’t changed a whole lot after my discharge but since I have these new trade lines my scores are now all in the low 600’s. I am still disputing some items that are IIB but show a $0/PASTDUE,$0/BALANCE & $???/HIGHEST BALANCE. Some even still show the payment history. I’ve put a freeze on all my reports until March to give myself a change to rebuild without the urge to apply for more credit (since it costs to place & remove the freeze). I tried for a Cap1 auto loan but was denied, Barclay denied (told me they wanna see at least 6 months good reporting after BK). I’m hoping with these accounts and my student loans I’ll be able to qualify for a house next summer

Thanks for the information. How long did you wait to apply for the credit cards you listed? I will be discharged next month, but I am afraid to start applying as I do not want all these credit inquiries on my credit report, especially if I get denied over and over again.

Hi, my chapter 7 bk got discharged this month at the beginning and Capital One gave me a card already today actualy . I obtained a secured one from Union bank first for 300 but Ive only had that one a week and cap1 already approved me. GOOD LUCK 🙂

Hi Everyone! It’s been a year since my Chpt 7 discharged. I reestablished credit in June with Cap One. I have about $1000.00 in credit card debt due to car expenses. Unfortunately, i have to purchase a new car at this point? Should I pay off the entire $1000 debt before I purchase a car? My current credit score is 680. Also, I recently obtained my credit report and some accounts say, charged off. Can I dispute that to the credit bureau? Also, a while back someone posted they were able to “clean up” their credit after filing bankruptcy working with a company. Is this true? Or can the poster reply?

Filed chapt 11 personal in june 2012. Applied for a card with first premier bank was approved for 300. Out of personal chapter 11 by early 2013 I got a second card from first premier about a year later, with a 400 limit. These cards cost about 100 bucks to get, have high interest, but if you need a credit card, you need it. I travel so I needed it. My first credit card now has a 600 limit. So I have about 1000 avail with first premier. I also got a card with Credit One Bank. They gave me 300 for a limit, which is now 500 just 6 months later. So at this point I have about 1600 in credit card availability, and frankly, that is plenty. I would recommend both these companies. They have online accts pay and research, very easy to use. My attorney was surprised I got a credit card while in bk. As for credit repair, you really do have to be diligent after bk to notice these banks and lenders and liens and state tax etc etc that they were discharged in bankruptcy. I had a lot of mortgages and home equity lines that were still in collections, and had to notice all of them. After bk is the time to start planning your future and never allow yourself to get in hawk again. I remember when I was young I lived on so little and was happy. Now that I am in my early 50s I realize how happy you can be without spending a fancy cars, clothes, toys, houses ,etc. Its a waste of money . Good luck to all of you!

I filed for BR in jul/2012 and got my discharge in nov/2012. Right after I applied to a Capital One card and got approved for 500 dls, after 6 on_time payments increased to 750, the 1200. After 6 months of having that card i applied for a Bayclard bank card, got approved for 1200. In jun/2013 i got a Banana Republic card for 400 dls, like 6 months after i got the Bayclard bank card they doubled the limit. This year i got an auto loan with Capital One, no paperwork required at 6% APR. I requested increases to my cards and Capital One raised it to 4000 and Barclaycard to 4500. I am using my credit responsibly and I think somehow I´ve been lucky based on other people´s experiences. The good thing is that BR discharges your bad accounts but the positive information still remains on my credit report and that boosts your score, Mine is 675.

Filed BK 8/2013; discharged 12/2013. Self-employed; need cc to do travel for business. Banking with Wells – business is good, and have saved over $100,000 in savings since discharge. Applied to Wells for secured card – denied. They said my car loan with them, which was part of bk but I reaffirmed and have never ever in the 4.5 years missed a payment on time including throughout the bk process – was part of the original Bk (even though reaffirmed and current on all payments) and therefore would not give secured card.

My question – it seems that Cap One is the way to go, but, Cap one was one of the debtors in my BK (as was BofA) Can I apply to them with reasonable success for approval, or, will I have to go to someplace like Open Sky or Progressive?

I figure that banks and credit unions are not going to be very helpful and don’t want to have too many inquiries on my credit report.

Just filed for bk on Aug 22,2014…my attorney said to apply for a card. To my shock I got approved today aug 29,2014 😉 I haven’t had a cc in 7 years. I’m very excited to be able to get on the road to recovery.
It’s great to hear everyone and their success 🙂

I filed chapter 7 in oct 2013, discharged in February 2014, due to a divorce. My credit was perfect before I married him. RME. I was unable to include in the bk student loans I had cosigned for my ex back when we first married. I waited until August to even apply for a card, assuming I’d be turned down. After reading the thread, I was excited to learn I might be able to be approved. I applied for the capital one quicksilver. I was denied. After doing some digging, it seems my ex isn’t paying the student loans on time. I’m so disappointed. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to rebuild my credit if i have to rely on him actually taking care of things. It’s 50k in student loans with really high monthly payments, or I’d just try to pay it myself. Learn from my mistakes…never cosign anything, especially not a student loan.

Just fyi -contact your student loan lender and see if your case would ualify for public service loan forgiveness, of course this is….if you happen to work for healthcare or non profit organization. It might just help you. Good luck

I filed in January and was discharge in June. I applied for a capital one card and was denied and also I received a notice from a collector from one of the companies in my bankrupcty. I’m not sure if I should contact the lawyer or what I should do to make sure my accounts r showing bankrupt.

send the collector a copy of your discharge. This is common for companies to try as a way to get more money out of you. Also send for a free copy of your credit report. If any of the information is incorrect, make sure it’s corrected.

@rach need crdit card
Be patient, and give it (1-3) more months. Make sure ALL your accounts on your credit report reflects INCLUDED IN BANKRUPTCY, including the collection accounts. My first bankruptcy took me (6) months to get credit again. This time only took me a month. Sometimes it takes longer for other. But…. HOLD YOUR CREDIT hostage. Make sure you dispute all account to show in bankruptcy. And in no time….. you will have a credit card.

And to add to my original post below:
Barclay credit card DENIED me for a unsecured credit card.

my bankrupty has been discharge for 2 mo now an i keep apply for a secured credit card an keep getting denied….. im not understanding what the problem is the only credit card i got approved for was a department store….. ugh the struggle is real i tell ya

I am one year out of bankruptcy I got my first unsecured credit card 2months after .. It was first premier 700 bucks.. I had to pay 95 bucks for it… But hey I had my first .. Then capital one 300 and after 5 months they increased my line of credit to 500.. They have a rebuilding credit program .. Then I was blessed and open up a bank account with a credit union and they gave me 2500 unsecured credit card .. I then applied for another capital one card 300 and in 5 months they will increase my line of credit.. Then I applied for firestone and they gave me a card 900.. Then nordstroms 500 just recently.. And now I just got bardclay card 1000 yesssss… Victoria secret 250, Roamans 250, jcrew 1000 and sports authority 250.. Of course I applied for many other cards that I didn’t get.. I now have 22 inquiries.. So for now I have stopped applying .. I had applied several times with bardclay and was denied I finally called them after the last Denali and asked them to please reconsider and they approved me.. I am still working on my credit.. My credit repot still list doctor collection and although I don’t owe money they won’t remove them.. Things like old phone numbers and address you need to have removed from your credit report every lil error counts against you.. I still researching on how to raise my credit score and fixing my credit report and check system.. This is a lot of hard work…

Why on earth would you want that many credit cards? More is not better when re-building your credit. Two solid cards should be enough. Maybe a car payment loan as well. Charging small amounts and paying it off each month.

This blog was very helpful to me, so, im going to share my credit experience.

I hope this post finds everyone doing well, and helpful! I filed bankruptcy Bank in 2005, and it was discharged. I was still irresponsible, and used my credit again, and got back into $50,000 worth of debt.

So, October/2013, I filed for Chapter 7 yet again. 🙁 My bankruptcy was discharged this past January 2014. I have learned my lesson, and will NEVER mess up my credit again. I have never cared so much about my credit UNTIL now.

I was a little discouraged when I seen my Equifax, and Transunion took a small credit score hit. But…………. I know in the long run, if i keep paying on these accounts, and keep them below 50% credit balance, Im on the road to excellent credit. Bankruptcy was the best thing I could ever do. It gave me a chance to start over.

After reading this thread I decided to apply for Capital One just to see what I qualify for and how much work I needed to do on my rebuilding. My bankruptcy was discharged 8/12/14 three days ago. I applied for the QuickSilver One Rewards and was approved $1000 credit limit. I am totally excited. I haven’t had a credit card in 11 years or longer. I had not paid them when I had them and they were in collections. The collection agencies kept selling the debt and kept my credit history messed up. I am so excited. I can start my life over credit wise.

I will NEVER again go with Capital One.
They are cheats & liars… they don’t listen or care what your circumstances are.
My husband had a stroke, we had a house fire… harsh.
NO HELP FROM THEM.
Now bankruptcy.
I hope we can move forward.

I’m extremely sorry to hear about your unfortunate circumstances. When all of this happened, did you by any chance have insurance on your account? The cost is usually ninety nine cents (.99) per one hundred dollars ($100.00) if this was the case you may have some grounds for legal action.

I filed chapter 7 on April 17, 2014. I went to the Meeting of Creditors a month later, and once the Trustee approved everything I left and went home and got copies of my 3 credit reports. The Credit scores averaged 550. I disputer every negative item on every report such as “Charge Off”, “Collection” Account, and even Judgments and explained that these should be changed to “Included in Bankruptcy” and the amount owed should show $0. I did this for every creditor as well as the collection agency’s. I also attached a copy of the “Chapter 7 petition” as proof. Almost immediately I noticed the creditors and collection company’s started to make these changes and my credit score started to rise. I then purchased a 1 month subscription to Transunion for $4.95 so I was able to get notified whenever a change was made or not. I also checked the reports every few days since they were free, and if a company did not change to “Included in Bankruptcy” with a 0 balance I would dispute it again. If they still didnt make the change I would use the “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau” website and lodge a complaint against the creditor or collection agency that was refusing to make the changes. The end result within one month was every debt I had was changed to “Included in Bankruptcy” the collection agency judgment was removed, and many of the items were simply removed all together due to persistence. My credit scores are 690 now and I just received my discharge 4 days ago. I found the Capital One tool which shows you what you may qualify for on this site, and applied for both unsecured cards rather than bothering with the $200 secured one. I was approved immediately for both the Platinum and Venture each for $4000.

I filed Chapter 7 (no pay back) a year ago. I had no interest in applying for a card until now. I’ve applied for 5 cards, even secured, and am getting turned down. So I requested my free annual credit report but I couldn’t get it over the internet. It says I have to complete a form, send proof with my ss and address. So do you think this is because I may have the same thing as you….they need to state on my credit report (all 3) that it was included in bankruptcy? When they asked security questions to get my report, I have some suspicion that there’s something on there that I never knew about and my bankruptcy lawyer didn’t either.

did you do online requests for all the disputes to change the status or did you mail in the documentation to all the places? I go for my meeting of creditors on the 8th of September. What you did sounds like a great plan. Im going to look into this after i leave my meeting.

bk filed: 3/2014
discharged: 7/2014
applied with capital one auto loan: 7/2014, 1 week after discharge
approval terms within 60seconds: $16,087.00 %22.00APR $0 down $409/mo 72/mons
at this point ill take an offer because im in desperate need of a car.
im also very skeptical on applying for stuff because i do not want my inquires going up. but i need to build credit asap!

it years late but save cash. you are getting 22 percent not just because of bankruptcy but because your credit score is 524.. thats really low. you would probably get 15 to 22 percent with a 524 credit score even if it didnt file bankruptcy

I was discharged on March 03, 2014. I applied for Capital one in June and received a $2,000 limit. In July I applied for barclays credit card and received a $2,500 limit. My scores have really improved since Im working with a company to remove the negative information left on my report after bankruptcy. Score went from 557 to 680 in less than four months.

BK late last year and have left everything alone to clear out and get started over. Just used the card finder and was approved for a nice start on the road to recovery. Thank you much for the info on here and the help in pointing in the right direction. Many thanks.
Edward

OMG! I followed a lot of your advices on this page and just applied for a Capital One credit card and was approved!!!! The first year fee’s are waived, and the years after it’s only $19 a year. It’s designed to help people rebuild their credit! Thank you all so much for your advice. I’m done with applying for credit cards! 🙂 Thank you once again. I’m more so on my way to rebuilding my credit! 🙂

I’m so happy that this site is here. When I had to file BK Chapter 7 I had to include all of my credit cards. Victoria Secret is one card that I always paid off every single time I used it. I hated to lose it. At any rate I just re-applied for it and was approved! I’m so excited. The limit is not really high right now, but it will help me to rebuild my credit. I’m so happy. 🙂

Well my sife and I are two weeks into our Ch7 BK. I currently show a 587 score my wife a 556. We both applied for Capitol one unsecured card. I was denied she was Approved. So goes to show you. There is no guarantee answer

I am happy everyone here had such great luck with Cap One. I did not. On the advice of Credit karma, I applied for their Suggested Cap One card and was immediately denied. Later I used Cap One card finder tool and again was immediately denied. Since my Feb Chapter 7 my scores vary quite a bit between the 3 bureaus and range from 600-650. I read here that a few of you have called them to explain and then were approved. What number can I call to do this? I am so discouraged at this point

Use annualcreditreport.com to access your free annual credit reports. Once you have done this, look for erroneous information and dispute it. Dispute invalid addresses as well. Also if you find you have accounts in good standing that are only being reported on some but not all of your credit reports call the creditor and get this information updated.

My discharge date is set for 6/18/14. Eager to start the rebuilding process! Just wondering if anyone knows if your income affects your approval for un-secured cards. I’m in the $100K-$125k range. What card or cards should I try? Like everybody else,I don’t want to just start randomly applying.

Got my letter of Dismissal of Bankruptcy on Jan. 29, 2011. That is not exactly what it is called. Chapter 7. The Atty. who handled my Bankruptcy did not tell me she made a mistake and included my Bank of America loan and I never received a letter asking if I wanted it reinstated so I could try to get it modified. I tried for 2 1/2 yrs. to get my loan modified. Finally they said I was denied for loan modification because my house loan was included in my Bankruptcy 2 1/2 yrs. earlier, but I was never told. Seems Bank of America and my attorney
make a mistake. I am underwater with my late payments and loan total of
about $180,000 owned total to B of A. It will appraise for about 85 to 92,000

if appraised by a licensed appraiser using comps in this subdivision. Since I’ve been a licensed Ark. Real Estate Broker for 36 years am sure my value is correct.

I have not made a payment in 3 1/2 years or so. I do not want to move out.
I want to stay right here because I have no money and no place to go. My son is living on s. s. disability and has no room for me. I am trying to live on 1311 per month social security and a little bit from selling Real Estate, but my expenses exceed my income. What to do?

You cannot be in over your head on your mortgage if it was included in your bankruptcy. If what you are saying is that you cannot get a modification because you did not reaffirm the loan then as far as I understand it( I am no attorney by the way) you owe them absolutely no money. At least if it was included in the bankruptcy. I would call your attorney to confirm as I am not responsible for any advice here. I am just offering to you what I think is the truth. I also believe that the bank needs to take you through foreclosure to get you out of the house if you do not voluntarily leave> If they have not started that process yet you may still have a while. However just keep in mind you live there for free and in no way can you expect to continue to keep living there. You should know better than that. They will eventually come for their property and rightfully so if you are not paying them anything. I would just call your bankruptcy attorney. Ask what he thinks. However you can hardly expect a bank to modify a loan if you are not even paying them anything. They can if they want though. Regardless of what they tell you. Call back and ask again. They really do not want you there rent free and they do not want to foreclose if not necessary it all cost money and takes time. Banks are about the bottom dollar.

I’m sos sorry to read what you are going through. Why didn’t you file a Chapter 13 instead of a 7? If you would have filed a 13, then your house would have been protected. You should really call your former Attorney to find out why they did not have you file a Chapter 13.

You can file a motion to convert with the US Bankruptcy Court on your motion you must state you name, case number, summary of motion and a description of what your trying to do and why then file the motion with the court, send a copy to your trustee and to the financial institution. You will need to draft a certificate of service that basically says ” on this __ day of ___ in the year ___ I served the following named entities with this motion” list the trustee and bank and file motion and certificate with the Court. Wait for a hearing date which will be scheduled for few weeks out.

You may have aggravating factors, remember you can discharge your debts but inquiries remain, they fall off 25 months after their post date. Additionally, if you have a lot of address history on your reports, creditors may deem you as someone whom can’t maintain stability and therefore make creditors feel uneasy. Additionally if you have a fraud alert, you will need to have your current phone number on the alert, if you can not be reached, they will dismiss and deny your application.

Mala – Student loans are not typically discharged except in extreme cases of undue hardship which the Court will only consider on specific motion. Otherwise, the Court will operate under traditional process and allow the debt to remain. If you meet or make less than the aggregate federal poverty level, you would be eligible for this specialized discharge.

We went thru chapter 13. Got into a mortgage over our head and it was a domino downward from there. We paid our BK on time every month and while in BK the trustee approved a car loan. we paid the car off on time every month while in BK. We were discharged in Oct 2013. In Jan 2014 we bought a new car and American eagle bank took us on because of the good history on the car payments while in BK. Several other car lenders turned us down. We had no choice our car bombed out and we were done with used cars always eating our income up. Our attorney advised us to wait 6 months after the discharge and then start rebuilding credit cards . We just applied in May 2014 for cards Cap One Platinum’s Hubby got $300 and I got 2000 unsecured. Hubby was probably low because of the car loan in his name. Its a start, I am grateful that Capitol One is willing to take a chance on us. We made a huge mistake and have learned our lesson. If we ever get a chance to buy a home again we wont get talked into more than we can afford and are very cautious about the Credit cards. That’s it, we only want one each for job traveling, emergencies and most important to rebuild our credit. I am sure that there are people that keep defaulting on credit cards that make it hard for the people that legitimately want to get back on their feet and start over So Thank you to Capitol One for at least taking a chance!

I was discharged Chapter 11 last October and have only been able to get low credit ($400) limits with off the wall creditors with high interest rates. I just applied with Capital One Classic Platinum and was approved for 2k, I cant believe it. Just cant make the same mistakes I did before.

I filed for Chapter 7 and got discharged a month ago. In the filing includes Capital One. I just checked Credit Karma and they have my score at 701 which surprises me and don’t know how accurate it is. After reading the comments here, I applied for Capital One Platinum MC unsecured thinking I got nothing to loose right now at the start of my fresh start. To my disbelief I got approved for 3K limit! I thank Capital One for the second chance and this will be my only CC as its more than what I need. Thank You!

Chapter 7 discharged Jan 2014. Received a $500 unsecured CC from my bank within days. Waited a few months and just got approved for 3k unsecured Capital One platinum CC today! My credit score after BK was avg at 650.

My chapter 7 bankruptcy was discharged 4/21/2014. On May 4th I received a pre-approval from Capital One in the mail. I used the online code provided and applied. They gave me a $1000 credit line. Last week I went to get a new Car. Capital One financed my 41k new SUV. I was shocked!! The interest rate was 10% but my bank told me that they would refinance it 1.9% if I made on time payments during the first 6 months. The other lenders we trying to finance me anywhere from 14-19% interest on the car. Capital One was the best rate. 🙂

No you should not apply for any card or anything before you are discharged. If you do then the courts will feel that you have not learned your lesson and the judge can deny your discharge. That is something you don’t want to do.

I was discharged for my Chapter 7, January of 2013 and applied for a Capital One card after 5 months of my discharged, and was denied. They at least had the decency to not pull my credit report.

Then I applied for a Credit One credit card and was approved. It’s an unsecure card and after having the card for about a year they increased my credit limit because I pay off my card within 2 months or less after I use it. So wait until after you are discharged.

Ranelle – For the purposes of the blog, could you clarify what you mean by “finalized”? While the Bankruptcy and your debts are discharged wiping out the existing debt, the trustees office must first file a report before the case is closed.

Bankruptcy Discharged 10 days ago, read this post and went to mail box, found a capital one pre-approved letter. Started Secured card app, switched to mail offer…. Approved for $1000 – 0% int for 1 year and 22% after (Yeah high) all with a 583 credit score…. My stomach is still in a knot!

I applied with capital one and got approved for $300.00 and Fingerhut for $500.00 what other credit cards/store cards have people had luck with?
I see in the string people have had success with Kohls but I included a Kohls card in my chapter 7 so im not sure about trying that one.
I would like to get 1 more account so I have 3 tradelines to re establish.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance 🙂

I applied and was discharged from my bankruptcy in January of 2014 and was approved for $1000!! So happy i was given a chance to rebuild my credit!! Give it a try, only way to rebuild is to start applying for credit!! I lost my house but it was the only thing i filed bk on. didnt have credit card debt before. Just house was upside down and payments were sky high. I know that my story is common. I am so glad i was given another chance. So give it a try! Happy new credit building!

For your sake I pray that your discharge is not denied because you now have a new credit card. That was not a good move. My Bankruptcy Attorney warned me not to do that because if you do then your bankruptcy discharge would probably be denied. Before your bankruptcy is discharged they check your credit. Good Luck.

Felicia is correct, they do not perform any credit analysis on any of your credit reports. BUT they do check financial information, etc. in your declaration you made certain claims under perjury and if you can afford to pay another card, the trustee may determine you to be associated in some form of bankruptcy fraud and/or charged with criminal contempt.

Just files chap 7 BK this month. After reading this site I’m so ready for my Creditor Meeting and my Discharge in late July early Aug…. Does anyone know how long the discharge actually takes. I’m hoping to get a car loan a few months after..

I guess I was too hasty, Its been 2 weeks as of today since my BK7 discharge and I applied for a Cap One Secured and Unsecured and was declined for both! However, Cap One approved me for an autoloan for %16k but at a very high interest rate of 19% YIKES! I am planning to refi after approx 1 year.

Tillman, My husband file chapter 7 bankruptcy in Feb 2014 and we were able to purchase a 2014 Chevy Traverse in March he is expecting his discharge letter at the end of this month. The company that financed his loan was Prestige they specialize in bankruptcy car loans…

I filed my bankruptcy in April and my court date is Tuesday I’m so nervous. I was approved through prestige financial 3 weeks ago. Been driving no money down. I’m hoping this doesn’t mess with my case, but I needed a reliable vehicle. I am a single mother of one and I am ready to rebuild my credit, and seeing all your posts gave me hope for a second chance. Should I wait after my 341 meeting to apply or can I apply before then.

Generally it does not take long for your bankruptcy to be discharged. It’s all up to the assigned Judge as to when they will sign off on it. After they check your credit report and other things they will then sign off on it providing you did not do anything like apply for a credit card or anything while you were in your bankruptcy.

As far as being approved for a car just wait until after you are discharged for a few months. You will get many pre-approved letters for a new vehicle in the mail soon enough.

That means you did not qualify for the card you applied for. You will be sent a letter stating one of two things, 1)you were not approved due to……
2) you may have qualified for a lessor credit card….
If you are approved…. it tells you immediately on line….
Hope this helps

I filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February of this year & I was surprised that it has discharged within 2 months. I am glad that I checked out this site because I applied for the Capital one card and I was approved within seconds for $1000. I was only expecting about 2 or $300 so I was surprised, especially since my discharge just happened a few days ago. Oh well, I’m happy & looking forward to rebuilding my credit.

I had to file bankruptcy about a year ago and was reluctant to start any sort of credit soon after. I tried to do a secured credit card with my bank (BOA)recently but was denied. After reading this thread, I decided to try Capital One and was successful! I will do as the others who have commented and open a Khols and the various other credit lines as well. I just wanted to say Thanks for posting this, wouldn’t have known anything otherwise.

I was discharge on march 7- 2014 , l get a letter today that I was approval for a car loan so I went two the dealers and there told me yes your approval from capital one . I have them on my bankruptcy discharge approval me for a car .wow but the payment are two higth for me . Does anyone’s knowns where can I get a personal loan with bankruptcy. I apply for credit cards but I didn’t get approval , capital one approval me for a car loan 17,000 but I did not get approval capital one credit cards .

Does anybody on here travel for business? If so, how did that work during the bankruptcy? Because my husband had an AM EX (the kind that carries a balance) as soon as we filed he lost his corporate AM EX as well (the lawyer had told us it wouldn’t be affected or we would have worked out a back-up plan before filing). If he can’t travel, he can’t work and we can’t afford for him to lose his job. I just wondered if anyone else had a situation lke this and how it worked out.

You really should call his Bankruptcy attorney to find out why that happened. I believe when you are issued any type of credit for work your social security number is used and if that’s the case that’s why he lost his work AMEX.

Kelly if he works for a major institution they can provide him with a secured AMEX. His HR department should be able to handle this and also for a small company. It just states that the company will pay the card if he does not. If they are not willing to work with him as they probably will know about this issue then maybe he should look else where, but most are very easy to work with once you go to HR something can be done as this is something they can not force you to pay.

My Chapter 7 closed 10-28-13, I traded my 2008 Sport trac for a 2010 Mustang on November 2nd. Three days after the Bankrupcy was closed. Capital One instantly approved me with 13.9 Apr. My car payment dropped from $610.00 a month to $278 a month. I applied for a Capital One credit card 2 weeks later approved for $300.00. Then a week later was approved with Kohls $300.00. Today I was approved for another Capital One with $500.00. Capital One, services Kohls credit cards FYI….I can not seem to get credit from any other companies. If you are looking to rebuild your credit after Chapter 7, Capital One is the way to go.

Try Barclays Rewards card. I was approved for a 500 limit 6 months after discharge. Also have 2 capital one cards(300 and 750 limits, kohls (Thanks for the tip 300 limit, Credit One Bank (500 limit), and First Premier 700 limit. Credit One and Frist Premier has high annual fees but not too bad being the situation.. I also was just approved by capital one for an auto loan at 9% interest rate and this was after 6 months holding their cards. Hope this helps

I was discharged (Chapter 7 bankruptcy) in January 2014, and Capital One gave me a second chance. I received a unsecured card with a very nice limit in March 2014 (just 1-1/2 months after my discharge!). I’m thankful for my second chance, and I plan to build my credit back up. I want to own a home one day, so I going to do right with this new opportunity. Thanks Capital One!

Chapter 7 discharged March 2013 with several Capitol One credit cards. After reading all of these comments, I decided to give it a shot since the Capitol One secured card is in the higher tier of not-so-fun cards. I was so nervous pressing submit, but I was approved with a $49.00 deposit! I couldn’t believe it.

I kind of milled over applying for an unsecured card because somehow my score is 640 (not good, but MUCH better than I would have guessed! If you apply for a secured card and you qualify for an unsecured, will they offer you an unsecured or just stick you with the secured? Anyone know? Am I a bit too optimistic at this point? I know I already applied, but wondering…

thanks for this website! i discharged Jan 2014 and was able to be financed with capital one auto, no more pot lots or 22% interest rates on my loans. i was also approved for a capital one platinum card for $300, making all my payments in full! I read some previous posts and applied for the credit one card, its being shipped today, $300 limit! it feels good to be trusted again, have low rates and low limits on my cards so i know i wont get back into DEBT! Thanks capital one!

Reading all these posts was very informative and thanks to that I was able to open a Fingerhut with just $200 but I am totally okay with that. So thanks to all of you for the advice. My husband and I filed Chapter 7 in Oct and received the discharge this past Jan 15th. I just received my Capital One secured $200 c.c. so having a little bit of credit is a welcome thing for me after 2 bankruptcies (1st one 9 years ago) I was able to purchase a 12k BMW truck through Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) and I am so grateful and happy for the 2nd chance.

My question is… I might of gotten a bit carried away applying here and there for credit, so should I just chill and let time go by and just work with these 3 things that I was able to get or are there any Dept. Stores that would be able to give me credit.. right now my score is 523 🙁 Help….and Thanks to all.

I had a Chapter 7 bankruptcy that was discharged in September, 2013.
Immediately, I was approved for a Capital One secured card with a limit of $200.00. I only had to give them $50.00 and not the full $200.00.
At the same time, I applied for a Credit One Bank card which I got approved for. My limit was $300.00 and as soon as I made my first payment, they increased my limit to $500.00. At the same time I was also approved for a Fingerhut account with a limit of $400.00 and I was also approved for a First Premier Bank card with a limit of $300.00. First Premier’s fees are HUGE however they report to all three credit bureaus. Fingerhut’s purchase prices on their items are a bit higher but they all report to all three credit bureaus and they also increased my limit from $400.00 to $1,000.00.
Ok, so I obtained all of those cards in October.
In November, 2013, (3 months after bk discharge), I was approved for a Capital One Platinum card with a limit of $500.00. My limit will be increased to $750.00 after making my sixth payment. We are now in March, 2014 (7 months after BK discharge) and I was just approved for a Barclays Rewards Card with a limit of $500.00. Before I filed for bankruptcy my score was 488.
I had worked in real estate for years and after the market tanked, I lost everything. It took me a very long time to get my life back in order.
Fast forward to after my bankruptcy discharge. My score had gone up to 535 immediately following my discharge. Barclays provided me with my fico score a few weeks ago and it is currently 653. I pay all of my bills on time and usually pay the balances down to next to zero.
Good luck all. There is hope! I hope to be back to 700+ within the next 6-9 months. I will also share that I have applied to other creditors and I was denied due to my bankruptcy. I have 13 hard inquiries which I know is very high however I was willing to take the risk and get hit all at once so that I could start to rebuild. I don’t believe the hits have effected my score significantly. My score would probably be another 10 points higher with a lower amount of inquiries but it doesn’t matter to me. I have what I need to reestablish and I don’t plan on applying for any additional cards for at least a year when my current inquiries won’t matter so much.

I look at the previous comments before I applied for the card and I notice that some people had filed chapter 7 and had included one ore more capital one card(s) in there bankruptcy and got approved. Well I must say this was my case I just applied again and got approved! Thanks Capital One for a second Chance!

My husband and I filed BK 7 due to a business that went belly up when the economy tanked several yrs ago. This has been an uphill battle for us. We filed last yr And we still haven’t received any discharge papers but everything has been taken off my credit …except the bad dings which will stay on our credit for 7 yrs. My credit score is bad because I have no credit whatsoever in my name. I really need to start building my credit and we have no idea when we will be discharged. I tried to apply for a card and was declined and ended up getting 4 points knocked off my already bad credit!!! I need some advice on what to do. Any advice on credit cards that would work for me???

So glad I found this article. My husband and I quickly applied for a Capital One CC and we both got approved with $3k limit each (unsecured). It’s been a year since our discharge and the only approvals we got were from Old Navy, HSN, Victoria Secret and Kohls. So glad we finally got approved for a VISA card. Thank you for this article.

I was discharged in October 2013. I was terrified to apply for a card to rebuild credit. I was on this site and said what the heck. I had received so many offers for car loans and credit cards. Took a chance after reading the forum and applied. I was approved for a nice amount,Thank you CAPITAL ONE!!!

Filed BK in early 2013 and was discharged July 2013. I was approved for a capital one card with $300 in oct of 2013, I was placed on a step program in which they increase your limit every 6 months if you pay on time. I am looking to rebuild my credit. I was also approved through fingerhut for $900 and a auto loan through capital one for $27,000. I am grateful for the second chance and the information listed above is right on point.

I had a $500 CL with capital one and at the advice of my bk atty, had to include them in my ch7 bankruptcy. I knew obtaining new credit would not be an easy task. It has been an up hill battle. My bk was discharged Aug 2013. I applied for a capital one secured card 2 months later – declined. I tried again 4 months later – declined again “because a seriously delinquent or past due account” with capital one.

I suppose I shouldn’t expect to rebuild credit, so soon, with any creditor that was part of my bk. I am a member of my employer’s credit union and they have no credit check loans up to a certain amount. I signed up and got one of these, so for 6 months it’s the only “credit” I’ve been able to get. I finally got approved for a secured Visa with US Bank last week. I couldn’t believe my own bank declined me, BOA and WF both declined me for secured cards. I did get the one, so I will not complain.

I applied for US Bank and actually forgot about it until one morning I got a email confirmation telling me I was approved. I let out a sigh of relief. I will not apply for any other cards. I will apply for another loan with my credit union though to at least show that credit.

I thought about financing a used car just to get the credit on my report. Even before bk I despised car notes, but there’s a real purpose in this case. I’ll ponder more and see in maybe six months.

WOW!!!! this really works. I have never left a comment online before. I filed for BK in August 2012 and discharged in March 2013. I had been searching for secured cards because I thought I would qualify for an unsecured card. I applied today and was approved for 3,000 UNSECURED with a $19 annual fee. I am happy to be starting over with NO deposit.

This is absolutely unbelievable! i filed for chapter 7 in october 2013, received a discharge notice dated feb.25,2014.On march 5,i applied for a capital one quicksilver mastercard using the “credit card tool”. So surprised that i got approved! This is not a secured card, it’s unsecured! from Capital One with a credit limit of $3000.00! . It’s the same creditor which was included on my chater 7 imagine that! Thanks capital One for giving me another chance.

OK…i decided to pull the trigger and apply after reading on this site. Much to my surprise, i was approved!!! Finally!!! I had ch7 discharged about a year ago and tried cap one like 2 times already. I almost gave up and was like what the heck…let me go for it. Now i will try and build this card up right this time. Glad they gave it to me being that i had 2 previous cards with them that was included in ch7 but always made the payments.

Filed bk in January 2014, discharged in April 2014. Purchased a car a few weeks after discharge with a very high interest rate which I expected (I plan to refinance in 6months). After reading these post I decided to give it try and applied for a credit card with capital one and credit one bank. Capital one did not give me a instant decision but credit one bank approved me. It’s not much but it is definitely a start to rebuilding.

I’m in the process of filing bk, I’ve already started asking local banks about their options for rebuilding credit. I must say I’m looking forward to the second chance. I only had a target card and jbjewlers card along with other stuff will it be hard to get a unsecured card. I got approved for fingerhut but never used it

I got my Chapter 13 discharge papers one afternoon around the end of February this year. Wanted to rebuild my credit so the very next morning I applied for a Capitol One Platinum MC.

It was approved immediately with a $300 limit which will be raised after 5 on-time payments. I ended bankruptcy with a 598 credit score. I’m now at 657 and have just added a second credit card from Credit One. Probably going to try for a Rooms to go account next for a different type of credit.

I usually don’t write comment or reviews but after reading this thread I called capital one and got approved for $2000 unsecured quicksilver mc. I have filed chapter 7 and got my discharge February 2013 and I had to include two cards from cap one. When I called them today I explained that and after few questions from a VERY professional rep she recommend two cards the quicksilver (which gives you 1.5% cash back) and another basic card with only master card benefit. I choose the cash reward. After a minute or so she came back to me saying I got approved for $2000. Very happy with capital one! They give people another chance to rebuild credit. Much better that those secured cards and other banks that charge crazy fees.. Thank you capital one!

Got approved for Capital One QuicksilverOne Master Card with $3,000 CL. My Chapter 7 was discharged last June 2013. Got approved for car loan with WFDS, a week after my discharge, just to get the road going to recovery with minimal monthly that hardly feels in the pocket.

It was this month that applied for CapOne Quicksilver One MC out of recommendation from Credit Karma. My CK Score was 569 and EQ was 618, although I do have a $16,600 Chase Visa Sig that was not affected by BK. My application got initially held with CapOne for a week because there was a Fraud Alert on my report. Thanks to that, I did not know that I could call a backdoor number to explain what that is all about. Then the rep said they will proceed and asked me if there is anything I would like to add. I told them of my approved car loan and I am living on cash basis and I just need something to help me fully recover on the credit side of things. I initially expected a limit of $300-$500.

We too were discharged Jan 2012…and have been paying a car note that is reporting for about a year. Just applied to the Credit One card and got approved for $300. This is the only and 1st unsecured credit card I have ever had bc I always felt credit was a gimmick. But now that I understand how it works I think this will be a good start to rebuilding my credit. Right now score should be about mid 500’s, but haven’t checked yet bc all that is on my credit BK, home foreclosure incl in BK, and a on-time reported child support.

Filed bk last year and was discharged in late December. Had a Cap One that was originally an Orchard Card in the bk (didn’t have much of a balance, if any) but I was approved for the above card. Unsecured…. Was so happy and was so nervous waiting while it processed. Best of luck to all.

After finding this site, I had the courage to apply to the above sponsored cc company and was approved for $3000 unsecured credit. Our discharge was initially in March 2013, then the mortgage company made us open up the bk again due to them not re-affirming the loan. It cost us an additional $700 to re-open the bk, and lots of stalling from the mortgage bank to get discharged again in end of July. My husband tried in October to get a store card and was denied. He immediately tried Capital after I was approved, and he was approved as well for $3000 unsecured credit. This is proof that there is hope after bankruptcy. My question is how long should I wait to try again for a card so I can continue to build my credit 🙂

With Capital One credit card your husband can add you to his account. They will ask you for your social and add you to the account and mail you out your own card, just have him call them and request to add you. It is free to put you on the account and it will help you get reset abolished as well. GOOD LUCK YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Wow… needed a card for business travel 1 mo after BK-CH7. Found this site, applied, and instantly got approved for $3000. EEK! Only needed $300-$500, so was definitely not expecting this. Good luck everyone!

Has anyone been approved for Capital One Secured after discharging a Capital One card in Bankruptcy? Capital One is the only secured card I can find, and don’t want to ding my credit if I’m just going to be denied. Thank you! 🙂

I can say that I discharged one in 2010 and now have 2 unsecured cards with them. Although 1 card was originally with another lender that they purchased, they increased my line immediately. Keep in mind I have a chase card with a family member that I am also legally obligated that I use for work/travel with $7500 limit and have charged roughly $15,000 in the last year and paid in full. I am in credit and work for a bank. I can tell you if you get a card with a $500 or $300 limit use it and pay off each time you do online. I basically used my card like a debit card paying off a couple times a week. Its all about rebuilding.

yes Mary, my husband and I both applied separately. I got 1000 limit he got 500. after charging gas and paying off balance at end of every month for 6 months, I now have a $3500 limit and has $2500. we did the 0% intro offer for 15 months. Now we are transferring balances to Chase Slate as we were now approved for that one. we waited about 9 months after d/c before applying.

I completed my 341 meeting late December, from everything I’ve read people were able to get approved for credit cards shortly after, everytime I apply (especially with Capitol one) I’m denied. Who can I apply with?

My Chp7 was discharged Nov 2013. I’m so thankful this stressful time is over. I received a pre-approved offer from Capital One. Do you think it’s safe to accept the offer or wait until late spring to start rebuilding credit? Also, someone mentioned a credit tool to use when comparing cards. Where can I locate that tool?

Apply for the Capital One. I read on the BK forums about them. I wasn’t that far out from my own discharge – 3 to 6 months, a few years ago. I did their on-line application, the one where they tell you in 60 seconds. I kid you not, I was so nervous/scared/whatever holding my pointer over the send button 🙁
I was by myself and practically cried when it came back – Approved 🙂 Stupid, but I was on cloud 9 🙂

Amen! It’s amazing how the simple things make us happy. When I applied for the Capital One Platinum last year, and had a credit score of 560, I was scared to death too! When I submitted the app, I was so sure that it would be declined. When it came back approved, I was in shock and stared at the screen for about 2 minutes, thinking I was going to find a glitch in the system. I was approved for $500. Then I decided to push my luck and try for the Classic card, it said it was reviewing my app. Thought for sure that would be declined. Imagine my surprise when I received an email that said my card was being shipped out. The limit was $300.But, I was happy with that. Now both cards are sitting at $750 each after they automatically raised the limits.

WOW! So glad I found this. Had a Ch7 discharged a few months ago. Got approved for $3000 unsecured Cap1 card that will NOT be utilized for charges I cannot afford to pay directly from my checking account, LOL. Heres to rebuilding our credit in 2014!

I have to say I’m glad I found this out. It seems like Capital One is good to those of us who have had to file Chapter 7. I went to my 341 meeting the end of December, just waiting for the discharge. Do you have to wait until after your discharge to apply for one?

so glad I came upon the information I read on here. I just got approved for a capital one with a $300 limit so that will get me a start so I can rebuild and get some credit going, my goal is to buy a home my bk has been discharged a year now and I just cant wait another year to buy a home. I have 4 kids and a husband living in a 2 bedroom apt. it’s just not working for us anymore so does anybody out there have any useful information that can help me on what or if there is a way I can get a loan asap, I have tried a few and all tell me no 2yrs there has to be something out there all my debt was medical bills etc.

I had my bankruptcy discharged a little over 2 years ago and just applied for 2 credit cards (Best Buy and Target) for the first time in about 3 years. My husband and I just bought a house (which I was approved for through Wells Fargo), but how in the world did I get turned down for these credit cards and was approved for a house??? I had to claim Capital One in my bankruptcy since they would not allow me to keep my card open when I was in the middle of bankruptcy – I even offered to pay my balance in full – as I did all the time and they said no, so I am scared to apply with them again – I tried their pre-qualification thing on their website and no offers came up. I have searched and searched and have not found anybody else that has had this problem – what is wrong???

I filed ch7 Bk in September 2013 and was discharged the beginning of December 2013. I was so nervous about applying for a credit card because I was afraid of being denied and it being on my credit report. After talking with a friend that filed bk she encouraged me to call capital one. So I gave them a buzz after receiving a few mailing offers from them. As I’m giving her my info I’m thinking “if I’m not approved I’m not applying for anything else!” Lol . So after 7-10min of giving all my info and she comes back to the line like, “you’re approved!” I was so geeked!!! Lol it was only $300 credit line but unsecured! 🙂
Made my day! I’m glad now I can work on my credit and I am not going to exceed more than $200 of ! I plan on paying it off onetime monthly! Just to show I can handle other folks money now! I’ve learned my lesson ! Your credit is your word, so Guard it !!

You don’t need to carry a balance for your score to increase just charge 10-20% pay off when due and repeat. This shows the credit companies you do carry a balance, they only see your statement, not every time you charge, you just have to put the dog and pony show…I’m only 8 months out of chapter 7 and cap 1 gave me 2,000 unsecured after 5 months with a 200 secured card, and I just received a letter offering me an increase if I do well for 5 more statements. It’s all about a show, under 20% utilization, ON TIME PAYMENTS, and available credit. BTW stay away from Discover and AMEX. Good luck and keep up a good show and you’ll be in the 700’s in no time. I’m between 645-670, 8 months ago 560-590. Just treat your rebuild like a hobby where you cannot mess up and monitor it. I suggest Huntington’s ID Protection. It offers monthly credit reports, real time updates anytime your SSN is used for anything and unlike most it gives you updated scores every month too. All for 15 bucks a month. Good price for a recent bankruptcy dashboard.

My Chapter 7 has been discharged in September 2013. One month pass my discharge, I have applied for Capital One Platinum Card. Got $3000 credit limit with no need of going with secured card. A week ago I checked my credit score and it is in at ~630 points, I though maybe I give it a try and apply with Chase, but got denied due to bankruptcy showing on my report. Thank you Capital One for trusting me!

My wife and I went through a chapter 7 BK in May 2013, it was discharged in June 2013. Before we were even discharged from BK we were able to get an auto loan for 2010 Chevy Silverado with a lower interest rate than we were paying, in September 2013 we both applied for Capital One Credit Cards and were approved for $500 each to help build our credit more. This was a scary process but our life is so much better after filing BK and rebuilding our lives.

So u did BK in May 2013 and discharge on June 2013 so it only took u a month for ur discharge? And how much was ur low interest? my husband and I just filed BK this Month January 2014 so I’m not sure how long does it take for the discharge but I hope it soon 🙂

Hi Kimmy was just checking out this site and came across your post. I filed chapter 7 in middle of Oct 2013, had my creditors meeting on Nov 5th 2013, and just received my discharge Jan 14th 2014. I hope this helps I’m from Ohio. It isn’t as bad as you think. Sure your credit takes a hit. But it’s going to be ok. I wish you luck.

There’s no such thing as a 30 discharge, he may have his dates wrong. Read your court papers, your discharge date is on it along with when your 341 meeting will be held. Also, wait until after your receive your discharge before you apply for new credit.

Hello I too took BK back in 2005 and have had a terrible time trying for any cards. I first had to go through Fingerhut fresh start which allowed me to start with a small amount of 200 credit and the I paid it off and got switched to a normal Fingerhut card cause I successfully paid my balance off. Fingerhut does report to all 3 major credit agencies and that is always something to make sure is that any credit card you get does report to the 3 major credit agencies so it will help your score. I also then applied at an online company called grandpointe.com which also gave me a credit limit of 500.00 and they have other companies that are affiliated with them and I always charger something small for the first few months and paid it on time. Grand pointe also reported to the agencies and yes it takes time building up credit but once you start somewhere it will get better. I recently have gotten several other credit cards with good high limits. I would highly suggest starting with Fingerhut and an online catalog company that offers buy now pay later. Just don’t get in over your head always start out low and pay it off and it helps to pay a few dollars extra on your bill each month that also helps a lot. Possibly even try to get a small bank loan. That can also help build your credit. Yes, some of these offer high interest rates but you will find that anywhere right now if you have poor credit or claimed Bk. But, once you start establishing credit then you will start getting cards with lower rates. Another card to try is centennial I believe is the correct name. Other catalog buy now pay later credit accounts are seventhavenue.com, countrydoor.com, ginnys.com, I know fore sure grand pointe.com does report to credit agencies. always keep an eye on your credit score and record also absolute free sites of those are creditkarma will show you your score for free no credit card required and annualcreditreport.com is also free for your yearly credit report. Keep an eye on your information and if you have any problems or concerns contact them immediately cause you could have information that isn’t even yours that can also hurt your credit. It didn’t happen over night to start getting cards but you have to start somewhere. I just kept exploring my options on the internet and did a lot of reading online and read a lot of reviews of different cards and accounts online. Even if you get cards you personally don’t like ” think of Christmas gifts” just to help build your credit.

I was just discharged on 10/7/13 and applied for an unsecured Capital One Mastercard and to my surprise I was approved. Good luck to all those out there in the same situation I was in. Keep your head up!

My husband and I had to file chapter 13 bankruptcy about 13 or more years ago and since then we have been trying to buy us a house and no one will give us a chance, we would like to be considered the first time home buyers if anyway possible….please some information would help. Vicki Hill

Hi Vicki… less then one year of been discharged from our BK13, we got approved for FHA Loan. You need to find a mortgage broker who is willing to help you. You need to make sure you understand the guidelines and see if financially you can qualify and go from there. We got approved and we bought our brand new house like I mentioned, it was less then a year from been discharged. Good Luck!!

My BK was discharged 11/9/11 I’m in the final stages of a foreclosure, That was also included in the bk, the bank that held the mortgage, sold the loan to another bank before the foreclosure was finalized, so I took another negative hit on my credit score. I had a Capital One card that was discharged in the bk, do you think CO will give me a second chance? Thank you

Typically? Are people on a fixed income (SS, in my case) more able to get credit after BK than non? My fixed is above $1900 monthly and my BK should discharge within a week or two. I’m anxious to retire on my V.A. guaranteed lot but need to show I can manage credit (my problem was major medical in the past) and get back on the wagon … or is it ‘off the wagon’? I can’t ever figure that out. Anyway, luck to you all – make it work.

This website is very helpful and informational. I hesitated to try to apply because I was recently discharged from bankruptcy. The information is very accurate and I am excited about rebuilding my credit. Thank You Capital One 🙂

Hello,
I am so thankful I found this forum. I thought filing chptr 7 was the end of the world. I just had my trustee hearing on 9/9/13 so I’m still waiting for everything to be discharged? How long should I wait to apply for a secured or store credit card? Also, will filing hinder my chances of obtaining government/fed jobs or jobs that perform credit checks? Thanks a million!!

I had my trustee hearing the end of August. I wont be discharged until October 28th. What I have been doing is monitoring my credit report to see if my creditors are zeroing out everything. When I filed, it dropped my score 15 points but has been increasing little by little. I was able to keep my secured credit card and my car so those are 2 positives that will help my credit score. But i would seriously wait before you start applying for credit cards. Start out with a secured card. I have a American Express I got through USAA a couple of years ago. Its secured through a CD. Hope this info helps.

I recently filed a chapter 7 (it’s scheduled to be discharged on 12/9/13.) I applied for a capital one credit card and was approved. I have a score of 655. I later read that other people have had the same success. One person quoted they used the credit card tool above since it didn’t affect your credit score. They looked at the options and selected a credit card to apply for. When completing the application they entered 64,000 as the income and was granted a 2000.00 line of credit. Good Luck to you.

Thank you for this article. We filed chapter 7 bankruptcy over 4 years ago and have used cash for everything since. The only reason I wanted a card, was for renting cars, when out of town and bypassing the whole rental insurance. Imagine my surprise when I applied for the capital one card and was approved…especially since I have no credit score since filing, since there has been no activity and of course my mortgage company isn’t reporting our timely payments…which is ok. I don’t plan on using this cc, for anything other than traveling and paying in full this time. there is hope, after all!

Hi, still waiting to be discharged should be final on July 1st 2013, how long after that can I apply for a secured credit card? I see that my score has been going up since May 1st. Any advice or guidance, I dont want to keep applying for cards and running my credit to much.

my bk was discharged in aug.2012, foreclose, medical bills, a lot of good people, hard working with families or on their own, lost their jobs and had to start over. we can never see years down the road or expect the worst to happen or want to file for bk. I was approved, and I’m thankful to now I can take steps towards a brighter day and great credit. It will take time but I think things happen for a reason, thank you so very much, I’m more hopeful now it’s been a hard lesson but you learn from it, anyone dealing with the same issues you’re not alone, good people deserve another chance. thank you Capital one.

You can’t get mortgage financing if you’ve had a foreclosure inside of your bankruptcy or a short sale for a minimum of 3 years. Other than that, FHA mortgages are available after 2 years for anyone who has re-established credit. Re-establishing your credit for mortgage purposes can be as simple as paying your cell phone bill and other utilities and rent on time – moving your credit score is a bit more difficult and requires that you have something that reports to the credit bureaus – that’s why secured cards are good. Capital One is great as mentioned – Bank of America has 2 levels of secured cards (partial – $99 deposit with $500 credit line and full – $300 – $5000 with equal deposit into a CD that is returned 1 year after opening the card if your payments are on time. I think the fee is $39 annually). Household Bank also used to offer great deals, but they were recently acquired by Capital One. Back to the mortgage – make sure you pay EVERYTHING on time – including medical bills. Late payments and collections after a bankruptcy will kill your chances.

I discharged Ch 7 Aug 2010; I am closing on a home on Aug 23, 2013 with a mortgage of $343k, 3.27% 5/1 ARM, ann inc $121k. Preapproved with an EQ cr score of 645, final approval three months later with an EQ cr score of 681, Exp 681, and TU 695.

There is a new FHA program that will allow you to get a mortgage one year after bankruptcy and it relates to people who have lost third jobs. Check online and google for it. I cannot remember where I saw it but was on a bankruptcy site somewhere. Good luck.

I just applied and was awarded a card immeditely with a $49 deposit and $29 annual fee. My BK was discharged in 9/2011, and this was the first credit card or credit of any kind I have applied for since I was discharged. I still don’t know the credit limit, but will find out when I get the card and/or information in a week or so. I am so glad that I found this site, and for the chance to rebuild my credit. I am also grateful for the comments and advice I have found on this blog. So helpful. Thank you.

Your “credit limit” is the amount of money you send them. If you send them $500.00, your credit limit will be slightly less than $500.00 (due to small fees for use which typically apply monthly). The card is secured by your own money. The beauty of a secured card is with appropriate use, I have personally found Capital One to switch you over to a unsecured card after about one year. They were a blessing after my bankruptcy. Now, I have three credit cards–two, with $25,000.00 limits; one, with $14,000.00 limit. It all started with my secure, Capital One credit card.

This site is very encouraging and informative and I want to try and improve my credit and get a secured or unsecured CC.

I was discharged for my BK chapter 7 in Dec 2012. I am currently in the midst of a divorce (not finalized). I have received Capital One CC letters in the mail.

However, my question is: SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL AFTER MY DIVORCE IS FINALIZED (and my name is changed), to apply for the CCs. Or should I try and take advantage of the offers being sent to me now under my married name? Do I have a better chance of being approved for a card via the offers in the mail (“You are eligible for this offer”) versus just going to the site and applying?

I’m trying to ascertain if it’s something I should do now? (will the offers cease?) Or will waiting a few months until my divorce is finalized and name changed a better cleaner option? Or will it cause issues and make it more complicated?

Side note: My husband filed for chapter 13 himself (I was not included.) As a result, and in the midst of the divorce, I filed for a chapter 7.

Your credit will follow you based on your social security number & birth date – so it doesn’t really matter if you get credit under your married/maiden name. As for taking advantage of the pre-qualified letters from Capitol One: I say GO FOR IT! My husband & I discharged a Ch 7 in Sept 2012. I was offered an unsecured card in Nov 2012 and my husband got one in Dec 2012. They offered us a CLI after our first 5 on-time payments. We both got 0% for the first 6 months or so as well. MUCH better offer than we thought we’d get so soon out of bankruptcy. We pay our balances off every month & I just received my CLI (my CL is now 2.5x the original CL I was given). I have been very happy with the card. I would encourage anyone in a similar situation to give it a serious look.

Hi! thank you for posting the link to Capital One. My husband and I were looking for a credit card to rebuild our credit. Our bk was finalized 3/21/13. Was a little concerned we would not be approved, since Capital One was on our list of previous creditors and so soon after finalizing chapter 7 bk. I was just approved for 2k and my hubby for 1k. Thanks for posting the link. We are very thankful for the opportunity to rebuild our credit.

Has anyone obtained an Amercan Express card during the BK cooling off period? 7-10 years?
Trying to determine if/when to attemp. Can’t stand waisting good credit rating points asking just to get denied,

My understanding is that you will be blackballed for a minimum of 10 years and possibly longer. Am Express is a great card and a great company. I had a really good relationship with them for many years prior to my BK, but they wanted nothing to do with me when my boyfriend tried to put me on his card as a joint cardholder under his name. I don’t think I would try it. Maybe go with different cardholders for a decade or so (LOL!). On the good side, I was just approved by Cap 1, as this was a first attempt at credit since my BK was discharged in 9/2011. Good luck to you.

Honestly, stay away from American Express. Before my bankruptcy I tried to work with a credit consolidation company to help pay the balances off after I had lost my job, as soon as I signed up with the company, American Express sued me. I had no choice in the matter, I had to file bankruptcy. Them and Capital One actually sued me. Now my bankruptcy has been clear for a year and I am very hesitant to try and get a card through them, secured or unsecured.

I received by BK discharge papers yesterday and I applied today. I had medical, credit, foreclosure and I was approved with a $49 deposit. I was a little nervous, waiting for it to say approved or denied, and I am shocked. I am hoping to rebuild my credit and move forward positively. I will never be late…EVER again!

The short story is: I applied for the Capital One Platinum card an was instantly approved on their web site for $500. This is with a credit score of 650 and 2 months out of bankruptcy.

So my mind is at ease for having a card for emergencies and rebuilding credit.

I’m a couple of months out of my ch7 bankruptcy. I only had one credit card with Orchard Bank when I filled for bankruptcy. I’d had it for about a year, paid on time, it had a low limit, and I didn’t have a balance on it.

I tried getting a car (hoping for a lower rate then the 19% I’m paying now). But the amount still owed on my trade-in would have required a higher down payment then I wanted. Plus the banks didn’t want to finance a used car, but would finance a new car.

I am confused and need clarification. I am one year into my chapter 13 filing (3 years left to go. All my credit cards were included in my BK. When is the best time to try to re-establish /start rebuilding my credit?

I received a mail offer from Credit One, however I threw it away because I am still currently in my BK arrangements.

Started BK7 process in September 2012. 341 Meeting November 2012, discharged Jan 11 2013. Just applied today and was approved for a Cap 1 platinum MC, $500 limit, 25% APR. Gotta start somewhere… My credit score post BK7 currently sits at 698. There is hope and opportunity after BK. Just do not get yourself in over your head again. Keep your balances in check and make more than the min payment on time each month and you will be fine.

I filed for bk and was discharged in Oct 2012 and i just applied for this card to help rebuild my credit. An i was approved with a $49 deposit!! I am one happy girl since i can slowly start rebuilding and get back on my feet 🙂

Great Information Provided,
I just applied for the capital one secured MasterCard (First credit card I have applied for since my discharge) and I was approved. I Filed in July 2012 and my bankruptcy was discharged November 7th 2012. (BK-7). I was approved for the minimal deposit of $49.00 but made an initial deposit of $200.00 which is the maximum deposit depending on your credit history. (I deposited more for a higher credit limit). I was approved for $1,400 which is much more than I expected. I did include capital one in my bankruptcy but I also did not have one 30-day mark on my credit when I filed which my attorney advised me would be well favorable when and if I apply for credit in the future.

Jon,
Don’t give up! My bk was discharged 10/2012 and I applied for the Capital One unsecured card in 11/2012 and was denied, then this month I reapplied for a Capital One secured card and was approved for a $99 deposit and a $200 limit. The deposits range from $49-$200. I know it’s not much but I was happy with that and I can start to rebuild my credit now! Try that and see how you do!

My discharge was finalized November 5, 2012. I applied for a Capital One Platinum card with a 24.9% variable APR and a $19 annual fee after the first year (versus a Capital One Classic Platinum with a 19.8% variable APR but $39 annual fee) on November 18, 2012 and was approved with a credit limit of $500.

I just submitted my application for the Capital One card listed above. My bankruptcy was finalized and discharged just a few weeks ago at the end of Oct. 2012. Capital One was also one of my cards that was discharged. I applied for the card and was approved for an initial security deposit of only $49, it did not tell me what my credit limit is.

Thank you for posting this information, it was very helpful. I don’t like the idea of ever having another credit card after what I just went through however, I have to try to rebuild somehow. I am definitely going to have more personal restraint with this one using it only for gas while commuting back and forth for work. Also, after reading some of the other comments I am going to pay the majority off each month and leave a small amount so it gets reported to the bureaus. Thanks again

I applied for both the unsecured and secured card and was denied both. My bankruptcy was discharged in November 2012. It is really frustrating no being able to get even a secured card. Up and till my bankruptcy I had never been late on a bill. I am not sure which way to best build my credit.

wait until about 6 months after discharge. We are 1 and half years discharged now and have:
Captial one
Ge Money bank (1 year after bk) store credit card- walmart, jcp
Target (very easy to deal with)
Rooms to go
and a Barclays card
We never use these too much and always pay them off within 3-6 months to have a few month revolving credit line payment history. Our limits start off low around 300-500 and now most are up in the 4k limit with the exception of capital one. That one is up to 1800.

Conns if you have one is also a good way to build credit. They report to the bureau each month and they approved us instantly. We purchased a washer & dryer and paid it off with no interest after 9 months. That really helped us build credit. My fico is about a 688 my husbands is 655.

Wait till you get into further months with matrix, it will get to the point where you mail your pmt and then they say they don’t receive it till after the due date, so they can charge you a late fee the really screw you up good. DONT USE THAT COMPANY WISE UP.

I have had high anxiety about my recent bankruptcy and how to rebuild my credit. Thank You for sharing the info. I was surprised to be approved for $2000.00 limit. I am grateful to have this second chance. I plan to use my card on groceries only and set up auto pay for my payments to Capital One.

I included a lowes card in my chapter 7 and was discharged in 2012; applied for a lowes card the other day and was denied; reason “did not fulfill previous obligation with them.” I guess I have been blacklisted with GE Bank.

My chapter 7 discharged in aug 2008. This last august I closed on my home with a conventional rate of 3.75% fixed. I have a walmart card with a limit of $2000, a cap 1 with a limit of $3000, ashley furniture with a limit $8000.00 a ge cap with a limit of 4500.00 a home depot with a limit of $5500.00. i also have an auto loan for 38000 at 2.49%. my score in 4 years is over 720.

I started out with a cap 1 card right after my bk. They started me out with a $500.00 limit. Here is my secret. If you pay off the balance completely every month you will not gain the credit score you are hoping for quickly. Keep it at a 10% balance and only ask for increases every 6 months. If you pay it off entirely every month you will not get an increase often. Also if you keep a 10% balance your score will go up. Not using your card at all or showing a 0 balance will not show a payment history. Also when you apply, do not apply for more than one piece of credit (especially revolving) every 6 months

I filed for Chapter 7 in 2009, and I didn’t want to get a credit card right away, because that’s what had gotten me in trouble in the first place. Three years later, I attempted to get a line of credit at a retail store and was rejected. This prompted me to go online and research getting credit after bankruptcy, because I’ve learned the skills I need to not get crazy with a credit card. The first article I came to was this one. I applied and was approved! I’m so excited! Thanks for the awesome advice!

Then use your cash in hand and go to a bank to see if you can get a secured card..use your money to buy property…stagnant money means nothing…I mean if you want to lend me a few thousand so I can flip property with you on the insurance title where you Cant go wrong let me know. Make your money work for you not the other way around.

Thanks so much for the comments about Capital One. My bankruptcy was discharged in July 2011 and I applied for a Capital One card today after reading these comments. APPROVED!! Nothing like a second chance! Good luck to all.

Thank you for this information.. I was denied a secured credit card by another bank today yet was approved in 10 minutes by Capitol One after reading your article…. Again, thank you for posting this information.

Thank you for this information. I too was approved for a Capital One unsecured card with a 2000 limit even though I was discharged from a chapter 7 in 2010 AND am going through foreclosure. This card will help me pay the upfront cost of a tuition reimbursement program to increase my salary and I will only be responsible for the interest. i appreciate finding this info and finding a way!

I filed for chapter 13 back in October of 2010 and just applied for a capital one and was approved with a credit line of $400.00, it is not much but it is a start, all I want it for is to help increase my credit score by making purchases on it and then paying within the month. What is the best way to increase your score? Paying the balance off each month or paying the balance over the period of two months and then once that is paid make another charge and do the same to establish a payment history? I would like to make the best use out of it to ensure I start to rebuild my credit as this is the sole purpose of having a card as I would prefer not to have one at all but I need to rebuild somehow.

Actually if you pay off the balance they credit card company does not need to report it to the bureaus. Make multiple small payments throught the month, ie each week pay 1/5 of the balance, and carry forward a few dollars, then they will report pays as agreed to the bureaus. The smaller frequent payments look better than a complete payoff

I applied and received a capital one secured credit card the day I got my Chapter 7 BK discharge papers in the mail. I am trying to fast track my credit rebuilding and this card really helped. Not sure why others are not having luck with it. In fact I just received my card in the mail the other day. Good luck to others trying to start over.

My chapter 7 bankruptcy was discharged in Dec. 2011. I haven’t even thought of trying to obtain credit until recently when I kept getting pre-qualification letters from Capital One for an unsecured credit card…no fees and 0% interest till May 2013. (Although a high interest rate after) I went online to apply and to my surprise I got it! $1,000.00 credit line! The funny thing about it is that Capital One was filed in my bankruptcy. There IS light at the end of the tunnel.

My Chapter 7 bankruptcy was discharged in March 2011. I opened a savings and checking account with The Ohio Federal Catholic Credit Union and deposited $4000. After 3 unsuccessful applications, they granted me a secured credit card with a limit of $600. I used this card sparingly over the next 12 months, always paying the amount due within a couple of days after buying something. This past April, I tried to petition them to unsecure the account, with no success. On a whim, I applied for an unsecured account with Orchard Bank (since taken over by Capital One) and was approved. It felt great to have access to credit again!

My Ch 7 BK was discharged for the 3 years ago and I have been paying my mortgage on time every month and more then $15K in my savings account. I just applied for the Capitol One secured credit card and was denied. I don’t know how to rebuild credit if I can’t even get a secured credit card!!!

I applied for a US Bank credit secured credit card immediately after my chapter 7 bk was discharged. I was approved for $500. I also applied for Capital One immediately and was approved. If you were not approved, you may need to make sure that everything that was discharged in your bankruptcy actually shows correctly on your report. Visit annualcreditreport and get a copy of all 3 bureaus. If anything does not show “discharged in bankruptcy” then you need to petition your credit. You can do it online or by mail. They have to get back to you in a matter of weeks (it might be a month.) My guess is that there are debts or public records on your credit not showing inlcuded in the bankruptcy. It’s quite common. Everyone should check how the debts are shown after bankruptcy. Keep in mind that the credit bureau runs 60 to 90 days behind real time. I’m looking for a 3rd card, as I’m 10 months from my discharge date and I have 669, 677, and 680 credit scores.

Just wanted to add my experience since this was an EXCELLENT resource for me. I was discharged from my BK about 1.5 years ago. I didn’t even consider pursuing any credit until recently (which was how I found this great article!). I maintained my car through my BK and have never been late on a payment. As suggested here, I just applied for the Capitol One secured card. It took about 3 minutes to apply and I was approved, sent my $49 deposit, and have a credit line of $200. I’m very pleased with this outcome and am just happy I’ll be able to begin rebuilding my credit, even if it will be a slow process.

We filed a Chapter 7 and it was discharged in March 2012. We are waiting 6 months and then will begin to rebuild our credit. We currently have 2 vehicles which we kept during the bankruptcy and have not missed a payment on. To my surprise I pulled a credit score and it was 654 which is poor but not horrible. Do you recommend paying off the car loans if we are able before getting a credit card or is it better to have both? And in addition we were told a Chapter 7 stays on your credit report for 10 years NOT 7.

Keep the car loans! You want both installment loans (students loans, car loans) and revolving credit (credit cards). Your credit score will be higher with both. You might want to apply right away as “depth ” of credit is an issue. (How long loans/revolving accounts date back). Another thing to consider is you need to use revolving cards quarterly or so to make them active on your credit. There is a last active date. But keeping a high balance compared to the credit limit will run your score down dramatically.

Hi there, my husband and I filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. It was discharged in April 2012. Our first credit score went up this July by a lot of points. We’re still unable to obtain any sort of credit. Any suggestions? I’ve heard after three months people can get credit. Please help. Thanks.

Being a chapter 7 is a little worse than a 13 but not by much. You may have to wait 6 months to a year. We did a 13 filed in 2008 and discharged June 2011. right at discharge our washer & dryer went out we got approved for Conns (if you have one) and they set us up on payments. We paid it off within 9 months (had 3 years)and they reported monthly improving our score. We then waited a few more months (6 months after discharge) and we got the Cap one card. started at 500 with no deposit and now a year later up to 1800. We have been approved for a lot of other cards thru Ge money bank, Barclays, etc. My husband went thru a divorce before me and major medical issues and his score went from around a 455 to 655. We also bought a house one year out of our bk and got a 4.25% home loan thru Wells Fargo home mortgage.

Hi there,
So my husband and I were discharged from our Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 2012. My first credit score review went up this July. We are still unable to get any credit or even a secured card. I know people who’ve gotten approved for some sort of credit 3 months after filing. Any suggestions? This forum is very helpful. Thank you.

My active duty husband abandoned me (8 months pregnant) and our 1 1/2, filed for divorce and left the country. All of our credit card debt is in my name (as I balance transferred much of his on to my 0% credit union card) as well as a $14k balance on our vehicle to get the lien off to be able to ship it overseas. He has ALL of the children’s and my possessions and I have ALL the debt. In total to the tune of $70k ($40k cc and $30 student loans). I was a home maker before the abandonment and just had our 2nd child. Should I file for bankruptcy.. ??? I want to plan our (me and the children) future.. is buying a home possible after bankruptcy??

Buying a home after bankruptcy IS possible, it will just take more time and money (higher down pmt & interest rates). I’d consult a lawyer. You can’t get rid of the student loans, but you can get rid of the other $40k. You have to look at it from a financial perspective instead of an ethical one and decide if you can afford to repay the debt & go further into debt for a home vs. bankruptcy (which removes some of your debt & you’ll likely have to rent for a few years-which can allow you to save $). I know it’s a hard decision, but remember to worry less about credit scores and just do what you think is best for you children’s future. Your family’s well-being should be the #1 factor in this tough decision. Sorry about your husband and good luck!

Go see his Commanding Officer!!!! Honey, take him for everything he is worth! A friend of mine has 2 children with her ex husband, who is active duty Army, and he pays her about $1300 a month for child support, she doesn’t get alimnoy from him, but you probably could! Good luck 🙂 The military doesn’t take kindly to soldiers who abandon their families…

I too have a friend and with 2 kids she gets 1600 a month for child support and she gets 200 a month of his retirement and they werent married but maybe 9 years and the military doesnt play his commanding officer will get you your money.

Demand to speak with his First Sergeant or Commander; they don’t want to have guy’s like them in their chain. If they don’t take money from his paycheck (which they will most likely do), they will ensure he rides a desk outside of their office to keep an eye on him 24/7. At the very least, they will take administrative action against him. Something that will haunt him wherever he goes and into civilian life.

I filed Ch7 BK in Aug ’11 and applied for a secured Capital One in Jan ’12. To my surprise, I was approved for a partially secured card (does not state “secured” on credit report). I was approved for a $150 limit with a $ 60 deposit (which would be refunded after a year of onetime payments). In April ’12 I applied for Orchard bank unsecured and was approved with a $300 limit (Orchard was just bought out by Cap One). And just a month ago, I bought a brand new car which is financed through Capital One auto. So…..if you just came out of BK and are looking to re-establish credit, go with Capital One. Also, my partially secured card comes with a free credit monitoring membership. I’ve been able to rebuild my credit enough to get a brand new car in 10 months from BK definetely because I got these credit cards.

My advice……..
-pay off your credit cards every two weeks and leave a 20% balance on your card (don’t leave balance at $0). If you pay off twice a month, you won’t pay interest on the 20%.
-NEVER be late on any payments post-bk
-frequently check your report for accuracy. Accounts that were included in your bk WILL surface, and any bad credit after bk will hurt you tremendously.

Contrary to what people may think, there IS life after Bankrutcy! Is it hard? Yes. But it’s easier than the position you were in before it. Make being financially reposible your #1 priority, and you’ll see light at the end of the tunnel. Good Luck!

Want to know which CC is best for me to apply for after a bankruptcy in Jan 2012. I would love to apply for the Orchard and Capital but those were in the bankruptcy also. Do you think if I apply with them again they will approve me?

I had Chap 7 bankruptcy discharged 3 years ago related to divorced and still am unable to get a credit card. HSBC turned me down. I have had the same job for over 10 years. The only debt I have is student loan debt (pretty significant). Can you suggest a secured card.

I’ve applied and received an Orchard Bank Mastercard. Is it a bad idea to apply for the Visa also. I’ve only had the card a month and kept the balance under 30% on the post date. Should I do this a few months 1st or? It’s more so about needed a Visa card than needed more credit. I think I’m best to have my inquiries bunched together rather than spread as I don’t plan on doing anymore for quite some time. Visa is so much more accessible for me with where I use my card. I appreciate any feedback.

Hello, wanted to know I’m in the process of doing a bankruptcy. I listed some banks I had a long time ago in the bk. If i apply for a secured card, do I have to have a bank account to get a card? thanks

I applied for the card mentioned above and it only gave me one card to apply to which I did and then i got something that said it’s under further review and something about 10 to 14 days and then i picked out a design but i don’t think i got it because it was not a secured card and usually when you get the dreaded 14 days thing it means your declined.

Filed BK back in December 2011. Post divorce situation. I am proud to say I am on my way to a full credit recovery. Applied last night after I found and read this forum. Unsecured card (Orchard) should be here in about two weeks. Thank you for the “free” information. Frankie

So i was approved for the card and then i decided i didn’t need the card. I haven’t payed the processioning fee or selected a card once I got to that screen of applying. I just closed it, I don’t need a card. Will I be sent one or will it just cancel seeing that i didn’t pay the fee?

It sounds like you only did the pre-selection process, to see which cards you were pre-qualified for, is that correct? If so, then you didn’t follow through with applying for a card, and you wouldn’t receive a card.

no i did that then still applied not knowing that there was fee’s involed to have the card i just didnt select the design on the card i closed the screen will i still recieve a card and it also didnt tell me the limit i was approved for thats another reason i closed the screen.

So to follow up, I was approved for an unsecured mc thru orchard bank. Thanks for the point in the right direction. I’m not sure if I was acting prematurely, but I decided, upon reading further, to apply for another card as “you need more than one cc to rebuild your credit.” I was pointed to applying for capital one, which was listed on my bkr. Denied. Reason, too many recent delinquent payments or accounts with capital one. It states this is the sole reason I was denied. It gives me the impression I may be able to get an unsecured credit card elsewhere. Are there any other recommendations outside of Orchard Bank MC? I eventually want to obtain a secured card thru my credit union. Carrying a below 30% balance between to CC’s will give me just enough room and fluctuation in monthly bills to build my savings acct up to do so. Thanks for any info. I’ve read up on numerous cards and my head is all over the place. The Cap 1 thing doesn’t discourage me due to the reasoning.

I was discharged from my bankruptcy in 2007. I applied for an HSBC (Orchard) Credit Card shortly after and was approved for $700.00. Not bad I thought. Additionally, I had an existing overdraft line of credit with Commerce bank which is now TD Bank for $1,500.00 which I have had ever since. I have used this for a while and carried a decent size balance. Still the line remains with no issues. Further, I have carried a balance for some time with my HSBC credit card, which I just paid off completely. That line went from $700.00 to $1,150.00 in one year after opening it. I have a few hundred bucks left on my TD overdraft line, which will be paid off this week.

I checked my credit just before the New Year it was 654 – 710 and 754. I also sold my financed Honda which now shows as paid off. What gets me nervous is that about 3 years ago my ex wife who lives in Canada went to court in Canada to have her child support payments sent through my State who now garnishes the support payments from my job. Just so you know, I have not fallen behind and it appears on my credit as “Paid As Agreed”. It would only show negative if I did fall behind.

All that being said, do you think I stand a chance if I apply for a credit card with TD Bank being I have really good ongoing deposit relations and over draft line of credit? Or should I go for what’s behind door number 3 and apply to Capital One bank. I burned a few banks and know which ones I would prefer to apply to. Your thoughts are appreciated.

That’s tough to say. Sometimes having a checking/savings with a given bank doesn’t necessarily help your chances in getting approved for a card. In the case of TD, I can’t tell you specifically whether or not it helps, but I suppose that yes, it’s probably worth a shot at applying for one of their lower level cards. Good luck.

We just got discharged from a chapter 13 BK last month. All five years paid trustee on time. Have two mortgages with Bank of America, never late, and was not a part of the payment plan.

I took someone’s advice on here and applied for the Bank of America secured card since I have been doing business with them going on 25 years and they turned us down due to the bankruptcy. What is the point! If you are using your own money to secure the card, have two mortgages with them on time and never late… I don’t understand but I’m not happy to say the very least.

Now i don’t know what to do. I’m scared to death to try again for anything. My credit score is 680… that is really not that bad. I’m depressed. I need a guaranteed approval that reports to the credit agencies.

I have not yet, no. now i’m a little afraid to do so because right now i have only one inquiry and i don’t want all these banks opening my credit report. my question is how many are too many inquiries?

Generally speaking, the higher your score, the more the inquiries will hurt you. In your case of a 680, I think the impact will be minimal (a couple points) if you’re just talking about one more inquiry. The key to inquiries is not to avoid them altogether (because then you would never have credit) but rather to use them strategically.

For your scenario, I would say no more than 1-2 hard inquiries per 6 months (ideally no more than 3 per year). In the future once your score is in the mid to high 700s, then try and go lighter on the inquiries – i.e. a max of 2 per year.

From my experience, the quickest way many people rack up inquiries is by moving and/or changing utilities. Most cell phone companies do a hard inquiry and some (but not all) utility providers will, too. So take it easy on changing cell providers, etc. unless you have to (obviously a cheaper plan elsewhere is probably worth the inquiry though).

Hi Ms Terry, please don’t get depressed that is a no no no no, as I filed for bankruptcy too. I thought that the world was coming down on me then I realized that after paying for credit card debt for so many years, trust me I was paying them more than enough. I made a choice, was I going to keep paying for my credit card or stop feeding my children? I chose to feed my children guilt free and i did learn my lesson of having credit. Now the best one is Capital One at $49 dollars down, I have a 200.00 credit line and to my surprise they approved me with $300.00 dollars secured card, now I use that for things such as a computer desk or a washer machine, those are things that I can see and are useful. I no longer use my new credit card for clothes, handbags and shoes, that is a no no no I will used wisely. So try Capital One. Ok take care and don’t let a credit card put you down. Remember credit cards were designed for American people to believe that without credit, you are nothing. For me that’s is bologna. Good Luck 🙂

Terry, I have a similar situation and can offer you the following advice: I would advice you to try for a Secured Credit Card. Now I know you have to send in your own money to open it, however if you can send in $300-$500 then do so. The reason this is a good card for you after bankruptcy is because it is secured by your own funds. That way there is no risk to the bank. The reason why this card works is because this card will report to your credit report as a OPEN IN GOOD STANDING ACCOUNT and will raise your credit score by about 30 points if used slightly and paid on time. A credit card company will probably send you your money back if you show them that you can use the card responsibly and make the payments on time for 1 year. I hope this helps you! Take Care and good luck!

My husband and I are getting ready to file for bankruptcy due to high debt from his business venture (home fix and flips) – he has over $150K in deficiencies (had to foreclose on several properties- the latest foreclosure was in Jan 08). I had great credit (760s) but this last year we started to charge a lot on my credit cards. I now have $20K in CC debt (US Bank and American Express).

In addition to those two credit cards, I have a Discover card and an Orchard card with zero balances and a Chase Slate card with a $600 balance.

I am going to throw the US Bank and American Express into the bankruptcy and hope (fingers crossed) that Discover and Orchard are kept open. What should I do with the Chase Slate? Should I pay the $600 and hope they keep it open (I want to reaffirm it) or should I just go ahead and include that in the bankruptcy as well?

Thank you. My understanding now is that if I do pay ANY credit cards off, the creditor can still close the account. If the creditor chooses to keep the card open, the balance must be at zero at time of filing AND the available credit will most likely be reduced to $100 to $300.

Ch 7, discharged nov ’11. I applied and was approved for a $300 card. When looking online, the card balance shows $300. I am assuming if there are any upstart fees, they have either been waived or haven’t been applied to the card yet.

Even if I have to pay the 50 something off initially, it is a start. I am also aiming to get a secured credit card with my credit union. They require $100 plus the limit you wish to establish. I will use card strategically as I build up my savings account to do so with a limit I’m comfortable with.

Appreciate the article as it is gave me direction in life after filing.

My chapter 7 bankruptcy was discharged in Dec. ’11. I was just researching to see which secured credit card I should apply for when I got to this blog, used your link and was approved for an UNSECURED card! The card has $300 limit and with the yearly fee it’s more like $250 but I’m still very happy and very excited that I don’t have to put any money up front. Thank you so much!

BTW, I had an HSBC card that was discharged in the BK, so try it, it might work for you too!

I recently filed Chapter 7 last month. It’s a stressful process. I wanted to know can I apply for a cecured card now or should I wait until after my 341 meeting, next week or after I am fully discharged.

I read I can start re-building my credit now even while I’m in the Chapter 7 process.

Hello. I filed Chap 7 June 2012…. a week after filing; I disputed with all three credit bureaus all accounts included in bankruptcy. Within a month all balances were at zero and reflected IIB. September 7 2012 I applied for Capital One rewards card. I was approved with 1k limit. I also got a Cd secured loan for 24 months in August. This all done before my discharge Sept 12 2012. I have been added as an authorized User on a four year old account. My Cd secured loan has already reported to all 3 bureaus and capital one should report very soon. I plan on having less than 10% reporting each month. This bankruptcy has been a blessing for me and a fresh start. As with me and many others life throws us a curve ball which bends but dies not break us. Begin again be smart and things will fall into place. Much luck and God bless and keep you!

My Ch.7 bankruptcy was discharged a couple months ago. Since then I have been sent at least six pre-approved card offers with small limits.They want a $75 upfront fee and high interest rates,but all were offered to me unsecured.

Hey Bob, those must be First Premier… avoid like the plague! There are many fees and the $75 upfront is just the start. It’s not worth paying almost $150 per year to get an unsecured credit limit of $300.

Great post! Question: I filed in 2006. So based on the 7 year rule, it’s not fully off my record. I travel a ton for work, and would love to get a rewards card. My ideal goal is to have a marriott card, however I heard their chase backing does not tolerate bankruptcy. What is a good rewards alternative? My credit has been great since, my income has steadily increased in large numbers, and 6 months ago I obtained a $300 secured card.

Best next steps? I don’t want to use my company issued corporate card, I want the rewards 🙂

We are almost 4 yrs. out discharged BK… rebuilt credit with Orchard (HSBC), Best Buy (HSBC) and Chase (which was a WAMU card before acquisition) and just recently, bought a house in December with an FHA loan. Middle Credit score in the 710-720. It can be done. All our CC are low limits ($500 & $1700).

Here’s my question…I need to purchase airline tickets and was thinking of applying through Chase, Citi or BofA. I think Chase might deny… Southwest application states if there is a BK on record…any thoughts on Citi? Capital One pre-approved for the Platinum card but I need at least $800 for the flights.

Keep in mind though these cards don’t offer cash back/points, so they’re not the best credit cards out there. But if you’re just looking for something to take you to the next step, then they can make sense.

On your current Chase card, what is the credit limit? You may want to call them up and ask if they will increase it for you w/o a hard pull. I would try that before applying for a new card. But if they require a hard pull, then just apply for a new card instead.

Hello. I filed Bk and was discharged about 2 years ago, but since then am rebuilding my credit with excellent results. I have a credit score in the high 600s. I got a Pre-selected offer in the mail from HSBC for an unsecured CC. with a 0 percent introductory rate. I want to apply for this card but am nervous because in my Bk, I did include a HSBC CC. and am afraid that even though I am pre-approved that they will still turn me down and I will get an Inquire. Is HSBC known to give second chances?

Hi, I filed in June 2010 so going on 2 yrs. I’ve tried to apply for furniture store credit and have been denied as recently as today 1/25/12.
I’m afraid to keep applying to things and hurting my credit that way.

Any advice? I don’t seem to be getting approved by anyone… I’m getting very discouraged.

Hi Jenn, I’m sorry to hear that! You should be able to get approved for the card I mention at the end of the article – the secured version practically anyone can get. If you click on the link it will take you to a page where you can check if you are pre-approved without a hard credit inquiry. If you apply for an offer you are pre-approved for, then there might be an inquiry but at least it won’t be in vain since you already checked your pre-qualification.

Hi Jenn, Credit one bank should approve you. Go to their website and they have a pre-approval process which won’t be a hard inquire. They explain everything on their website. It is an unsecured card and they do credit increases but there is a yearly fee

I discharged a chapter 7 in August 2008. One month later I got a cap 1 plat card with $1000.00 dollar limit. All BKs stay on your bureau for 10 years retro active to 2005. I have 2 years till mine falls off but it hasn’t hurt me in recent years. I have a Mortgage at 3.69% conventional in 2012 for $267,000. I have 2 autos between me and my husband at 1.99%. I have an Amex world propel with a $7000.00 limit. Wells Fargo travel with an $18000 limit and a Regions relashionship rewards with a 25000 limit. I never Cary a balance (weather people say to or not). I get pay history from my Home and cars. My score is a 752. I will not get over an 800 till my bankruptcy falls of in 2018. It’s ok most loans over a 740 score are all relative except for recreation loans. Ps there is life after. Good luck to all

I declared bankruptcy in November 2011 and I’m anxious to start improving my credit score. I’m told the best way to do this is get a credit card and make timely payments. The only problem is, I included credit cards from Orchard, First Premier & Capital One in my bankruptcty. I’m assumming I’ll be declined if I apply again with them. Are there any other banks (other than those three) that offer unsecured credit cards to people with bad credit? Any other ways to start improving my credit score? My goal is to be able to buy a house in 1-2 years.

To respond to your question. Capital one and orchard have extended credit to even previous customers. I have seen this on many credit repair blogs and I have had credit before bankruptcy with capital one as well. It’s worth a shot

Why deal with some credit card company 2 or 3 states away when you can go into your local banks and get a secured credit card from someone who is likely to know you? If you get one from the bank you currently use, you already have some value to the institution; to me it makes sense to get a card from the ‘bank just down the street’. I, like thousands of others in the last few years, have had a set of unfortunate circumstances; there are 3 banks within 2 miles of my home that will give me a secured card at a good rate. Both of them will consider converting it to unsecured with 12 months of proper payments. Sure, the beginning interest rate is a point or two too high….live with it until you prove yourself to them. Once you have a decent score and have your finances in order, you will have more credit extended to you than you should take.

My Credit was ruined after selling my Dental Clinic & Building for $2.75 million. I only had outstanding mortgage & loans & credit card bills totaling $750K ($70K) in Credit cards which were not past due. After I paid everything the owners used my EIN# (fraud) and cashed my Accounts receivables and threw away my accounts payable. This Fraud was recognized by the National Practionaire Data Bank and I was issued a new #,which is like a social security # to Dentists. The O.C.C is reviewing my case and the hundreds of thousands of checks Valley national allowed these crooks to cash with my name and my TIN ,NPI#.I am now disabled due to P.T.S.D on $7,800 a month disability. Do I claim Bankruptcy or use my Disability (Temporary) to Discharge my Debt?

HSBC will not give me a credit card! I had one that I paid off and did not include in my BK before I even did the bankruptcy and I’ve applied twice (every 12 months) and my BK was discharged 3 yrs ago and they still gave me the excuse of the BK. Obviously if HSBC is your sponsor, they are number 1 on your list DUHHH

Hi Fabian, that is because all other HSBC credit cards require good credit – they will not approve you after bankruptcy or with bad credit. Only their Orchard Bank division has cards for bad credit.

The secured version for Orchard has no credit score requirement and is essentially guaranteed (as long are you meet the basic requirements like having a valid mailing address and being 18+).

CreditCardForum advertises almost all major credit card issuers and there are other secured cards that could be promoted here that would be a lot more lucrative. The reason Orchard is my top pick is because (1) low fees, (2) low minimum deposit, (3) only issuer to check your pre-qualification for multiple cards, both secured and unsecured, at the same time when you use the link above. If you don’t think you can get this HSBC card, I challenge you to check and prove me wrong.

Hello,
Just some news about a bankruptcy. My wife and i had to file in March 2009, discharged in Oct of 09.We are 65 year old seniors and this is not easy

We have been approve for a unsecured Capital one. My wife and i both have furniture accounts, where we have them with a 12 month interest free. We also our mortgage for 6 years and have never been late. We are doing great so far but finding it very impossible to get our home refinanced. We are looking to get a retail store credit card but do not know which one to select. We worry about applying for to many that many lower our FICO score. any advice. Thank You.

Hi Ken, sorry to hear of your troubles. As far as the best store card (that’s easiest to get) I would recommend asking on the forum to see what others say. You are far enough out from bankruptcy that your credit should be rebuilding nicely as long as you have a few accounts and manage them optimally. Good luck!

I was discharged Chapter 7 on October 15, 2013…I just got a Capital One Platinum MC unsecured with a 2K limit. I’m really suprised that my credit score is holding steady with all 3 bureaus ranging from 665-703. Could this be right? Now to build this back to where it once was…I want to move but realize it can take at least 2 years to get approved for new mortgage.

Friends

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